Skip to content

Conservatives vow to outlaw council four-day week

Ben SchofieldBBC East political correspondent
News imageAaron Chown/PA Wire James Cleverly giving a TV interview. He is standing in front of black railings with green vegetation behind him. He is wearing a dark blue jacket, white shirt and deep red tie. A white handkerchief in peeking out from his breast pocket. He has a neatly trimmed black beard, rectangular-framed glasses and short salt-and-pepper hair. He appears to be part way through answering a question, which he is delivering to a reporter and camera crew, which are just off frame to the left. He is wearing a small microphone on one lapel.Aaron Chown/PA Wire
Sir James Cleverly said a Conservative government would pass a law banning council staff from working four days for five days' pay

A Conservative government would look to pass a law banning council staff from working a four-day week for five days' pay, according to a shadow secretary of state.

Sir James Cleverly said the practice was "an insult" and that "custodians of the public purse" had "an enhanced duty to make sure they're delivering value for money".

Liberal Democrat-run South Cambridgeshire District Council voted to permanently adopt a four-day week in July 2025, after trialling it since 2023.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey backed the policy and said he supported "local councils deciding with their local people what is best for their community".

Council staff in South Cambridgeshire, as well as those in bin collection and planning departments shared with Cambridge City Council, work about 85% of their contracted hours with no reduction in pay.

The authority previously said it was "suffering more than most councils from problems arising from recruitment and retention challenges".

News imageAaron Chown/PA Wire A group of people wearing cardboard masks bearing Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey's face and holding up red and white posters that say "Lib Dem Councils: Out of Office" and "Full-time pat for part-time work".Aaron Chown/PA Wire
Conservative supporters staged a photo event to highlight the party's policy

Since introducing the policy, staff turnover had fallen by 41%, from 83 "voluntary leavers" in 2022 to 49 in 2024, the council said.

The number of applications for jobs at the council increased by 123%, from an average of 4.7 per role in 2022, to 10.5 per role in the 2024-25 financial year.

The council also claimed the policy had helped to save £399,000 in agency worker fees.

An independent analysis found the authority had improved or had seen no significant performance change in 21 out of 24 areas since reducing staff hours.

In its alternative 2026-27 budget proposals for the authority, the South Cambridgeshire Conservative group said it could save money by scrapping the policy.

It claimed "stopping full-time pay for part-time work... could increase capacity and the effectiveness of current staff and allow for headcount reduction", which would "save around £270,000".

The group also said it would stop the purchase of two refuse collection vehicles, which "would bring a saving of £244,000".

News imageEMMA HOWGEGO/BBC The outside of the South Cambridgeshire District Council building. It is a concrete cube-shaped building supported by concrete columns with a glass building in between covered by a metal canopy.EMMA HOWGEGO/BBC
South Cambridgeshire trialled a shorter week in 2023 and made it permanent last July

Sir James told BBC Breakfast there was a "long-standing Conservative principle about giving choice" but that "what we have seen, sadly, with South Cambridgeshire Council is that they have abused that choice".

A future Conservative government would introduce a bill to prevent all public services, including councils, from offering similar shorter working weeks.

Sir James added: "We are making it clear that this is something that is completely wrong.

"There is a push from the left of centre in British politics to move to this 'four-day week for five days' pay' – we think that's wrong, and in the public sector, it's definitely wrong."

News imageGareth Fuller/PA Wire Sir Ed Davey and Pippa Heylings, laughing heartily. Sir Ed is seated and is on the left of frame, wearing a white shirt with a blue tie, and a striped black and white apron. In his right hand, which is covered in either dough or icing, he is holding a butter knife. Heylings, with short blonde hair and a white top on, is standing, but leaning forward. Her eyes are scrunched shut as she laughs. She appears to be holding a plastic bowl, which is out of focus and in the bottom right of frame. The bowl appears to contain some off the baking ingredients the pair have been working with.Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
Last month South Cambridgeshire's Liberal Democrat MP Pippa Heylings joined Sir Ed Davey at a bake-off style event to launch the party's local election campaign

Asked about the Conservative policy announcement, Sir Ed said it was "a shame the Conservatives are too busy criticising others and not actually getting on with the job of serving local communities".

He added: "In South Cambridgeshire they are very short of people to do the work, and they have attracted people back to work into the council because of the actions they have taken, that are supported by the vast majority of people."

He admitted four-day weeks would not work "in many places" but said "if it works in South Cambridgeshire – and it appears to do so – good luck on them and they can take that issue to the voters".

News imagePA Media Steve Reed getting out of a rain-speckled black 4X4 vehicle in what looks like Downing Street. He is wearing a dark blue raincoat, and has neatly trimmed grey stubble and short salt and pepper hair. His left hand is holding the rear left door of the car, which is open, as if Reed has just got out and is about to shut the door. He is looking off camera to the left of frame. Behind him are black metal railings that are out of focus. There are two people apparently standing talking to each other next to the railings, but behind the vehicle.PA Media
Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said councils should not offer full-time pay for part-time work

In December, Labour's Local Government Secretary Steve Reed wrote to council leaders in England urging them not to adopt four-day working.

His letter warned the practice would be "considered an indicator... of potential failure".

A spokesperson for Reed's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the government had "always been clear that it does not support" the policy and added: "Local authorities are independent employers and we won't micromanage them – but our focus must be on delivering value for money for taxpayers."

But the Green Party said it was its policy "to move towards a four-day working week".

Its deputy leader Rachel Millward said Cleverly's announcement was "cheap sloganeering from a failed, irrelevant Conservative Party" and that banning four-day working would "bring no benefits and could in fact reduce the efficiency of councils".

Reform UK did not respond to a request for comment but a leaflet distributed by the party in South Cambridgeshire said it was against the policy and wanted "a council that delivers a quality service every day".

Do you have a story suggestion for Cambridgeshire? Contact us below.

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

More on this story
Related internet links