Advocates press UK councils to adopt four-day work week

Dozens of Councils Consider Four-Day Week After Local Authority Makes Permanent Shift

Several councils are being urged to adopt a four-day workweek after a local authority became the first in Britain to permanently approve the change.

This decision follows similar moves by over 200 private-sector businesses, where employees kept their full pay while reducing working hours—some after extended trials.

“As seen in many private companies, a shorter workweek with unchanged pay benefits both staff and employers,” said Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Foundation.

His remarks came after South Cambridgeshire District Council voted to permanently implement the four-day week. The council, led by the Liberal Democrats, stated that independent research found most services had improved or remained stable, with notable gains in hiring and retention.

Campaigners have now identified at least 24 more councils as potential candidates for the policy and believe as many as six could introduce similar measures soon.

Recent years have seen growing interest in alternative work arrangements. In early 2023, over 50 firms continued with the four-day week following the largest trial of its kind. Advocates viewed this as proof that the model could be expanded.

Earlier this year, more than 200 businesses across various industries adopted the shorter workweek. This month, all 17 companies participating in six-month trials through the 4 Day Week Foundation decided to permanently switch to a reduced-hour schedule, maintaining full salaries.

Soon after, South Cambridgeshire became the first council to take the same step. Employees there had been testing the system since January 2023, completing full workloads in fewer hours.

Analysis by researchers from Salford, Bradford, and Cambridge universities indicated that 21 out of 24 services had “improved or stayed the same,” while job applications rose by over 120%. Staff turnover dropped by more than 40%, and the council saved nearly £400,000 on temporary staffing costs.

Recently, the council also voted to extend the policy to shared employees working with the neighboring Labour-run Cambridge City Council. The city council leader praised the initiative as a “creative and practical solution” to hiring challenges.

Ryle added, “The highly successful trial at the first council should be the catalyst...”