Cambridgeshire council's four-day week trial could end 'if productivity drops'

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

A trial of a four-day working week that is due to end in 2024 could be stopped earlier if productivity drops, a council said.

South Cambridgeshire District Council began the trial in January to see if it would help to retain staff.

However, the council has faced a criticism for continuing to pay staff their five-day salaries, despite them working fewer hours.

A local government minister had asked for the trial to end "immediately".

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities issued a Best Value Notice to the authority asking to see evidence of the impact the trial was having on individual employee productivity and the council's services as a whole.

At a cabinet meeting, Bridget Smith, Liberal Democrat council leader explained that the council was still waiting to hear what further details the government wanted to see and said they would not be able to make any formal decision on how to proceed until then.

Heather Williams, Conservative opposition group leader, said: "This is not a positive thing for the council in the slightest

"And is a consequence of continuing with the four-day week trial despite two letters of warning from the national government that the trial must stop."

Ms Smith said the trial was "constantly" being reviewed and that if there was a downturn in the council's performance it would be stopped.

She added that she had never claimed the trial would continue to its end "come hell or high water".

A report on the trial was due to be presented to the council's employment and staffing committee on Thursday.