- The Conservatives plan to ban the four-day working week for all council staff if they win the next general election.
- Shadow local government secretary Sir James Cleverly said: “taxpayers should not be paying full rates for part-time services”, adding that it’s “not good value for money”.
- This proposal is made despite nationwide trials and implementations by councils like South Cambridgeshire reporting improved staff morale, productivity, and cost savings.
- The Tories intend to introduce a ‘Ban Four Day Week and the Protection of Public Services Bill’ to prevent shorter work weeks for public service employees.
- Labour also opposes full pay for part-time work, viewing it as a potential indicator of failure for local authorities, but has not proposed an outright ban.
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