Council staff should work from office, leader says

Dudley council leader Patrick Harley said workers must get back to the "real world" by returning to the office

Council workers in Dudley must get back to the "real world" by returning to the office, the leader of the local authority has said.

Patrick Harley, Conservative, made the comments while responding to questions from the opposition during a Dudley Borough Council meeting.

Adam Aston, Labour, had quizzed Harley on whether his instruction that staff work from a council building for three days per week complied with legal requirements.

Aston said: "Many employees who had been working remotely for years, some for over a decade, suddenly found their working lives changed almost overnight."

He added: "This isn't about resisting change, it's about ensuring that change is fair, lawful, and respectful of the people who keep this council running every single day."

Harley told the meeting he believed staff had been briefed correctly and buildings were safe.

He said: "It's not about change, it's about returning to normality, it's about returning to the real world.

"People did have to change their habits during the [Covid-19] pandemic but that is now gone and it is vital the whole world goes back to normal and that includes working in the office.

"I don't believe any workforce, not just our own, is completely and utterly productive when they are working from home.

"I also don't believe it is good for people's mental health."

Aston pressed his point with a further question on parking and its impact on council staff's pockets.

He said: "A consequence of a return to the office is the associated costs, the cost of parking which can amount to £800 a year for our lowest-paid staff given the fact that many council buildings do not have their own car parks."

The council's leader was asked to ensure there was proper consultation with staff and unions, to which Harley said he would be happy to review that aspect of the policy.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.