No divide in Reform over WFH, insists council boss
Sean Matthews, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, says it would not be able to afford the cost of bringing everyone back into the office
- Published
A council leader says there is no disagreement within Reform over working from home policies.
It comes after Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns announced all her newly hired staff will be unable to work from home.
Sean Matthews, leader of the Reform-run Lincolnshire County Council, said the authority "can't afford" the £5m that would be needed to bring all its staff back into the office.
Asked if he was at odds with the issue of working from home after what Dame Andrea had said, Matthews replied: "Not at all". He added: "We've got 6,000-plus staff in Lincolnshire, it's a hugely different approach to how people work in the council."
On Saturday, Dame Andrea posted a meme on social media site X stating that the combined authority had vacancies but that "all roles require working in the office and an end to working from home".
As part of its smarter working policy, council employees are currently allowed to divide their time between home and office, where appropriate.
Referencing working from Dame Andrea's office, he said it would be important "in that sort of environment" to have "close, personal relationships" and be easier to manage with less people.
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Matthews said the previous administration at the council had "reduced office spaces to save money".
"We can't afford the £5m needed to put those people back into the office," he said.
"We're taking a pragmatic view that because we can't afford it we will leave them in the positions they're in at the moment."
Matthews also believed "there was a place for working from home", stating that his wife had done so for the past 10 years and "does a great job".
"It's for the managers to manage their productivity and I think it is a little bit more subtle than just saying they've got to come to work or they haven't got to come to work," he added.
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