Steve Reed Warns English Councils Against Adopting Four-Day Weeks
Steve Reed, in a letter to all English council leaders, warned councils against adopting four-day work weeks without justification. The letter emphasized that councils should not offer full-time pay for part-time work as it may indicate potential failure. Reed stated that he had made the government's policy unambiguously clear to councils.
A Labour source highlighted that voters deserve five days of service per week from councils. The letter also reiterated guidance against providing full-time pay for part-time work.
South Cambridgeshire District Council became the first to implement a permanent four-day week from July after trialing a shorter week in 2023. However, Reed cited a decline in the council's housing service performance and questioned how such issues would be mitigated. He noted that the government can intervene in any council deemed to be failing.
While a Scottish public-sector trial coordinated by the Autonomy Institute found productivity gains and improved staff well-being, with 98% morale improvement, Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected civil servants' demands for a four-day week last year.
