A TaxPayers' Alliance campaign
A TaxPayers' Alliance campaign
While Brits contend with a 70-year high tax burden, public bodies are moving towards a fully paid four-day working week. That's roughly equivalent to an extra 52 days of annual leave!
This is simply unacceptable at a time when taxpayers are already paying over the odds for services that, in many cases, are barely functioning. Despite claims that these working practices will increase productivity, TaxPayers' Alliance research has concluded that, in the case of South Cambridgeshire District Council, there is no credible evidence that even current levels of productivity can be achieved by merely reducing working time by 20 per cent.
Our research has previously found that if a four-day working week was implemented across the public sector, this could mean the loss of £30 billion of working time.
Plans to implement these working practices are still in their infancy, but taxpayers are right to fear that they will soon be made to pay for a part-time public sector. That is why we have made a formal submission to the government, calling on them to "use financial levers to further disincentivise such practices."
Join our campaign to stop the clock off it's too late!
If you are a resident of South Cambridgeshire or Cambridge City council, click here to use our tool to submit to the consultation
SIGN THE PETITION:
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*NEW* SECURE A PLEDGE FROM YOUR COUNCIL LEADER:
We've emailed all council leaders across the country, asking them to sign a pledge ruling out implementing a four-day working week.
Use this tool to help us secure these vital pledges from your local council leader!
SPREAD THE WORD:
| Public body | Information |
| Somerset County Council | Council staff are reportedly attending a Zoom meeting to discuss "proposed start date for future trials". |
| North Hertfordshire District Council | Council staff are reportedly attending a Zoom meeting to discuss "proposed start date for future trials". |
| Rossendale Borough Council | Council staff are reportedly attending a Zoom meeting to discuss "proposed start date for future trials". |
| Bassetlaw District Council | Reportedly planned to implement a four-day working week trial. Abandoned plans in August 2023 following a TaxPayers' Alliance protest outside council headquarters. |
| Welsh Parliament | In January 2023, a report by the Welsh Parliament's Petitions Committee recommended that the Welsh government conduct fully paid four-day working week pilots within the devolved public sector. |
| South Cambridgeshire District Council |
Began a four-day working week trial for office staff in 2023. On May 15th 2023, the council cabinet approved a continuation of the trial scheme until March 2024. Minister for Local Government, Lee Rowley MP, wrote a letter to the council on 30th June 2023 demanding the council stop the trial immediately. TPA research subsequently concluded that the council's claims of increased productivity were unreliable. |
| Oxford City Council | Passed a four-day week motion and requested the leader of the council to “find out if there are any other employers in Oxford considering trialling a four day week for their employers”. |
| Glasgow City Council | Reportedly considering implementing a four-day working week. |
| Scottish Civil Service | Reportedly expected to announce pilot four-day week schemes for civil service staff in a range of departments and agencies. |
| Norwich City Council | Reportedly considering implementing a four-day working week. |
Press release (09/10/2023): TaxPayers’ Alliance responds to Scottish quango’s four-day week trial
Press release (24/05/2023): Public sector four-day week would cost taxpayers £30bn in lost time
Press release (10/05/2023): New analysis raises questions of four-day week trial’s success
We need your help.
The TPA is the only group that fights for taxpayers at both the national and local level. You can stay up to date with all of our work by signing up to receive our weekly bulletin here.
We’ll never stop standing up for taxpayers across the country, but we can only keep fighting thanks to the generosity of people like you. You can back our campaign today by clicking here to donate.
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