Four-day week council renames 'non-working day'

South Cambridgeshire District Council formally adopted the four-day working week in July

A council which introduced a four-day working week has renamed its allocated day off for staff.

South Cambridgeshire district councillors have agreed that the term "scheduled rest day" should replace the previous label of "non-working day".

In a committee report, council officers said this would "distinguish it from regular rest days (e.g. weekends)".

The Liberal Democrat-led authority began trialling the shorter working week in 2023, before making the policy permanent in July.

Full time staff can opt into the policy and are expected to complete 100% of their work in about 80% of their original hours without a reduction in pay.

South Cambridgeshire District Council said a "scheduled rest day" was different from a regular rest day in that staff were still under their employment contract and could still be asked to work in exceptional circumstances.

It also means they should not undertake a second job on these days.

They can, though, "use this time to rest", which the council defines as "time to recuperate, partake in leisure activities, undertake development, complete household tasks to free up weekend time or provide support to others through caring responsibilities".

Liberal Democrat councillor Anna Bradnam said the GMB and Unison labour unions were involved in the decision to rename the "non-working day".

The amendment to the four-day week policy was agreed by the employment and staffing committee on Thursday.

Criticism

The authority insists the move to a four-day working week has already proven a success, with applications rising by more than 120% and ongoing annual savings of almost £400,000 due to reduced spending on agency staff.

South Cambridgeshire District Council said an independent report from the universities of Salford, Bradford and Cambridge highlighted how the performance of 21 of 24 services had improved or stayed the same since 2023.

But it has faced criticism.

The previous Conservative government twice issued the council with a Best Value Notice, but these were not renewed by Labour, who said they wanted to end "micromanaging local authorities".

Tory councillors in south Cambridgeshire have also opposed the move, suggesting it has not resulted in improvements for residents.

The policy applies to council staff and not to elected officials.