Campaigners targeting dozens of UK councils in push for four-day week
The move comes shortly after thousands of private-sector workers were also told they would be staying on shorter working weeks with the same pay after more than 200 businesses decided it worked for them – in some cases, after lengthy trials.
'As hundreds of British companies in the private sector have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both businesses and workers,' said Joe Ryle, the campaign director of the 4 Day Week Foundation.
Ryle spoke after it was confirmed that South Cambridgeshire district council had voted to become the first local authority in the UK to permanently adopt the four-day week. The Liberal Democrats-led council said independent analysis had shown 'most services got better or were maintained, with significant improvements to recruitment and retention'.
Now, the campaigners have said they have compiled a target-list of at least 24 more councils, in the hope of setting off a wave of new announcements. They said they believed as many as six councils were close to taking the step in the near future.
The move towards more modern working practices has been gaining momentum recently. In February 2023, more than 50 companies opted to continue with the new working pattern after conducting the world's largest trial of a four-day week up to that point. Campaigners hailed it as an indication that the working pattern could be adopted in the wider economy.
In January this year, it was announced that more than 200 firms – across many sectors – had also adopted a four-day week. And this month, all 17 private businesses that undertook six-month trials organised by the 4 Day Week Foundation agreed to implement either a four-day or a nine-day fortnight pattern permanently – with all employees remaining on their full salaries.
About a fortnight later, South Cambridgeshire said it had become the first local authority to follow suit. Staff had been trialling doing 100% of their work in about 80% of their hours since January 2023.
The council said the independent analysis from the universities of Salford, Bradford and Cambridge showed 21 of 24 services had 'improved or stayed the same', while job applications had increased by more than 120%. It added that the number of workers leaving fell by more than 40% and the council saved nearly £400,000 on its agency staffing costs.
On Friday, it was announced the local authority had also voted to allow staff it shares with the neighbouring and Labour-run Cambridge city council to work a four-day week for full pay. The BBC quoted Cameron Holloway, the leader of the latter, as saying he 'applauded' the 'innovative and effective approach' to the recruitment problems both councils faced.
Ryle said: 'The extremely positive results from the first council trial should be the catalyst for more councils across the country to modernise and transform their ways of working by adopting a four-day week. The five-day working week was invented 100 years ago and no longer suits the realities of modern life. We are long overdue an update.'
It has been reported that councils in Edinburgh, Fermanagh and Omagh are exploring the possibility of taking part. Three more councils were said to be even further down the line, though the 4 Day Week Foundation kept their names private.
Councils in Belfast, Bristol and Glasgow have also reportedly been exploring the idea. The campaigners said 16 more local authorities were on a list of targets that had been in touch with them – though their names were also kept private.
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