Four-day week comes step closer with push for 'sympathetic Labour' to run new trial

More councils could move to a four-day working week under the Labour government after a report found encouraging results from a trial, reduced-hours campaigners claim.

It comes after South Cambridgeshire District Council introduced a four-day week for staff, with a study on the pilot by academics at the universities of Cambridge and Salford finding the move increased employee health and motivation.

The independent analysis published on Monday said the reduced week also brought improved performance and productivity, with fewer refuse collectors handing in their notice.

Residents benefitted from faster planning decisions, emergency house repairs, with complaints also handled more swiftly, according to report.

The Lib Dem-run local authority introduced the trial for staff to do “100 per cent of the work in 80 per cent of the time” in January last year, before broadening it to include waste service staff.

Joe Ryle, campaign director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said the results proved that “a four-day week with no loss of pay absolutely can succeed in a local government setting”.

“With a more sympathetic Labour government now in place, there is a huge opportunity for councils and organisations across the public sector to start planning for a four-day working week,” he added.

The scheme was previously criticised by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities under the Tories, which called on the council to axe it as it vowed to protect taxpayer's value for money.

But the council opted to push on and now says “the brave and pioneering trial has clearly been a success”.

The council's own research found that staff turnover plummeted by 39 percent during the trial, saving £371,500, most of which would have been spent on drafting in agency staff, according to officials.

It also saw regular household planning applications sped a week and a half, on average, it said.

Jeff Membery, the council's head of head of transformation, HR and corporate services said: “Overall the data shows that job retention has improved, recruitment has improved, health and wellbeing has improved, whilst performance has been at least maintained.”

Prominent members of Labour's newly-appointed Cabinet have previously voiced support for a reduced working week including Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Deputy PM Angela Rayner.

Last year, Rayner encouraged businesses consider four-day working weeks, after a large-scale trial involving 2,900 workers across dozens of firms produced positive results.

“If you haven’t already looked at [the trial], please do," she told business leaders.

“In terms of the four-day working week, it goes back to the first question about flexible working. If you can deliver within a four-day working week, then why not?”

The Labour Party has been approached for comment.