Minister warns councils against adopting four-day week for staff

Councils in England are being warned by the government against bringing in a four-day week for their staff, it was reported yesterday.

- Jamie Grierson

In a letter seen by the Daily Telegraph, Steve Reed, the local government secretary, said that officials doing "part-time work for full-time pay" could be an indicator of "failure" by a local authority.

Twenty-five councils are known to have discussed the merits of a four-day week and one, South Cambridgeshire, has already moved to the working pattern.

While councils are free to set their own policies, the government has the power to take control if an authority is deemed to be failing.