Critics say experiment has left residents with poorer quality services
The first British council to introduce a four-day week has pushed ahead with the scheme in defiance of a government order to “immediately” stop.
In a letter sent on June 30 to Liberal Democrat-run South Cambridgeshire District Council, local government minister Lee Rowley said he expected to see a return “to established norms around local government workforce capacity in the coming weeks ahead”.
It came after the council voted in May to extend a four-day week trial by 12 months into 2024 in an effort to fill vacant posts and “improve the health and wellbeing of colleagues”.
Critics said the experiment had left residents with poorer quality services. Along with other reductions to services, 131,000 households in South Cambs were left without bin collections on Mondays during the trial.