Lib Dems at South Cambridgeshire District Council are planning to plough ahead with their 4-day week for council staff – despite the 4-day week report’s author admitting it cannot be relied upon.
The results of the council’s 4-day week trial – which has seen taxpayers forced to pay over 700 council staff 37 hours per week for just 32 hours work since January 2023 – were considered by the council’s Scrutiny and Overview Committee on Monday.
All councillors are set to decide whether the council should become a 4-day week employer on Thursday.
But question marks were raised over the reliability of the data which councillors will be relying on to make their decision.
Brendan Burchell, a professor at the University of Cambridge, was one of the authors of a report analysing the final results of the council’s 4-day week trial.
However, paragraph 44 of the papers considered by the Scrutiny and Overview Committee states:
As stated in the Brendan Burchell’s independent report, it is important to note that the analysis cannot prove that four-day week working was the direct cause of any change identified, and it is necessary to consider other Page 12 factors that may have changed over the same period. These factors are wide ranging and can include national trends or other service changes.
The Lib Dem administration has claimed that performance has either improved or maintained in all service areas.
But Cllr Heather Williams, Leader of the Opposition, revealed she had received a list of 156 process changes made by the council during the 4-day week trial – including automating work and cutting down meeting times – reinforcing the report author’s own admission that any performance changes cannot be proven to be down to the 4-day week.
Whatever councillors decide on Thursday, one thing is clear – the decision of whether to become a permanent 4-day week employer will be made on wafer thin evidence.
Cllr Heather Williams, Leader of the Opposition at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said:
“Things like automating work and having fewer or shorter meetings will of course increase productivity. That’s great to improve council services for residents – but we need to be clear that these improvements could have been done without giving council staff a fully paid day off every week. It will be extremely concerning for residents – whose council tax and rents have gone up by the maximum amount yet again this year – that councillors are making perhaps the most important decision about this council based on a report that clearly states it is not reliable.”
