Hackney Council still has ‘no plans’ to bring in four-day working week

A four-day week is ‘not under consideration’ for council workers

Hackney Council has said it has no plans to introduce a four-day week for staff – after the government dropped its official opposition to local authorities doing so.

A Cambridgeshire council’s decision last year to trial reduced working days sparked debate when the previous Conservative government ordered it to end the practice.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s new local government secretary, criticised the administration at the time for “micromanaging” the issue.

On Friday, South Cambridgeshire district council received a letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government which said local authorities are “rightly responsible for the management and organisation of their own workforces”.

While the Labour government has not officially endorsed the four-day week, its new position opens the door to councils across England adopting it.

But when asked if this changed the situation for Hackney Council, the Town Hall said it was “not currently considering a four-day work week”.

In January, the council faced calls to meet with campaigners who argued that switching to four days would boost productivity, improve mental and physical health and deliver environmental benefits. The Town Hall declined.

Cllr Carole Williams said at the time that there were already extensive flexible working options for local authority staff, with 81 per cent now based at home for at least one day a week—a 30 per cent increase from 2019.

She also cited threats from the government and uncertainty around Town Hall finances.

Since then, the council’s financial difficulties have only increased, with the borough facing a projected overspend of £37m for 2024/25.

Last year, South Cambridgeshire said that by cutting staff hours by 20 per cent, it had improved recruitment and saved money on agency staff.

But the previous minister for local government, Lee Rowley, claimed the practice did not offer value for money and instructed the local authority to stop its trial.

He warned that the government would “take the necessary steps in the coming months ahead to ensure that this practice is ended within local government”.

In a similar development, tube drivers called off their strike on Friday after they were offered a four-day week, a pay rise and fewer working hours, in a “ground-breaking” deal between Transport for London (TfL) and unions Aslef and RMT.

A new pilot for a four-day week is also underway across the country, with approximately 1,000 workers from 17 businesses signed up.

In August, Rayner suggested four-day weeks, which the previous government described as “part-time work for full-time pay”, were “no threat to the economy”.