Business and charity leaders urge ministers to lead England’s transition to four-day week

More than 100 business and charity leaders have called on ministers to “lead the country’s transition toward a shorter working week”, after the local government secretary criticised a council for shifting to a four-day work pattern.

Steve Reed wrote to South Cambridgeshire district council, the first English council to trial a four-day week, raising concerns about performance and value for money, and expressing his “deep disappointment” over the policy.

In a letter leaked to the Telegraph, he claimed an independent report had shown performance “declined in key housing-related services including rent collection, reletting times and tenant satisfaction with repairs”.

On Thursday, more than 100 leaders across multiple sectors signed an open letter to the business secretary, coordinated by the 4 Day Week Foundation, urging the government to create a working time council to guide the shift towards a shorter week.

“As business leaders, trade union leaders and advocates who have witnessed the successful transition to a four-day working week (with no loss of pay) in many contexts, we can say with confidence that it is not just an idea for the future – it is already delivering results today,” the letter states.

“From different sectors and company sizes, we have all witnessed the same outcome: shorter working weeks are not only viable, but transformative.”

The leader of South Cambridgeshire council, Bridget Smith, also hit back at Reed’s comments, saying she was “extremely disappointed” by his letter, and that independently assessed data showed the vast majority of council services had either improved or remained the same during the four-day week trial.

She disputed Reed’s claim that staff performance had declined and said her colleagues had done “100% of their work in 32 hours each week” since the four-day week was introduced.

“Our financial analysis indicates that as a result of the four-day week we are saving a net £399,000 per annum, in large part due to eliminating our reliance on agency staff to fill positions,” she said in a response to the government.

Joe Ryle, the campaign director at the 4 Day Week Foundation, said Reed’s comments were “frankly ridiculous” and made the government look “outdated and stuck in the past”.

“We know four-day working weeks and flexible working is good for workers and businesses, that has been proven time and time again. The council overall is outperforming, compared to other councils in the country, so cherrypicking these three areas does seem odd and frustrating,” he said.

“When it comes to the private sector it has been quite widely embraced, hundreds and hundreds of companies have successfully implemented four-day weeks in the last couple of years, but as soon as it enters the public sector, that is when it seems to be contested.”

Another 25 councils across the country are reportedly also planning to trial four-day working weeks next year. The government has no legal power over council working patterns, meaning ministers can apply pressure but not impose a ban on four-day weeks.

Analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that more than 200,000 workers have switched to a four-day week since the Covid-19 pandemic. The 4 Day Week Foundation estimated that at least 430 UK companies have adopted a shorter week in the last few years, which includes over 13,000 workers.