Council four-day week trial may have saved £333,000

About 450 staff at South Cambridgeshire District Council have been trialling a four-day week

A council pilot to allow some staff to work four-day weeks for five days of pay has not damaged performance, says a study, and may have saved £333,000.

South Cambridgeshire District Council has been the first local authority to trial a shorter week.

The Lib Dem controlled council said the trial had helped it fill job vacancies and save money, while an early study suggested performance had not been hit.

But the council's Tory group criticised paying people to have a day off.

The authority started the pilot in January for the 450 desk-based staff at the council's office in Cambourne. It has been extended until next March.

Bridget Smith, the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, said the authority decided to trial four-day weeks to help it fill vacancies

The trial in South Cambridgeshire attracted the eye of Cambridge University researcher Nina Jörden, who offered to analyse how well the council was performing.

Dr Jörden told BBC Politics East: "We have analysed 16 different performance indicators that were provided from the council to us and we have analysed them in quite a comprehensive way. We have found that in most of the cases the performances were maintained.

"Some services even improved their performance. Some showed a slight decrease in performance - however, when we compared that to the historical average there were no significant outliers. There was no concern."

She added: "In January, February and March of this year, the performance is very close to the historical average of the last six years."

Nina Jörden works at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge

Bridget Smith, the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, said the authority decided to trial four-day weeks because it had "been really struggling for years to fill all our vacancies" and relied on agency staff to fill gaps.

"On average we only fill about 80% and we have some vacancies that we have been carrying for years, particularly in planning," she said.

"We had to do something. We have already managed to deliver a third of a million pounds in savings, largely because we've now filled some of those really difficult to fill roles within planning.

"It means we're delivering a much better planning service to our residents."

'Slap in the face'

Staff generally either take Monday or Friday off, but the council is still available to help residents all week.

"Our contact centre is open all the time and in fact is open rather longer hours than before we started the trials. It's now open on a Wednesday evening as well. Everyone gets exactly the same service five days a week," said Ms Smith.

This summer, the scheme will be extended to other non-desk based staff, including bin crews.

There is a cost to that though, initially £33,000, because the council will need to pay for extra lorries and boots on the ground to collect rubbish over four days rather than five.

Heather Williams, Conservative opposition leader on the council, said the money could be better spent.

"For residents, it's a bit of a slap in the face. Their council tax is going up. Their rent is going up," she said.

"They are working more and more hours and yet here a decision has been made by politicians to give people a day off."

Architect Luke Butcher, from Peterborough, said the introduction of a four-day week had helped recruitment

Private businesses around the country have over the last few years started trialling four-day weeks.

One firm is run by Peterborough architect Luke Butcher.

He said: "We found it was much easier to recruit staff. It's a big draw for people to see the practice as somewhere that values mental health and the work-life balance.

"It's also been a great way to retain staff because people like working the four days rather than five, because they get a better balance between the weekend and work week."

You can see more on this story on Politics East on BBC One on Sunday, 18 June at 10:00 BST, with it also available on BBC iPlayer afterwards.