A council has rejected concerns that its introduction of a four-day week could lead to potential conflicts of interest after it emerged some staff have second jobs. South Cambridgeshire district council, which is led by the Liberal democrats, was urged to boost employee monitoring after an internal survey suggested nearly one in six were undertaking paid work during their extra day off.
A motion by independent councillor Dan Lentell backed the four-day week, introduced in January 2023 and heavily criticised by Conservative ministers at the time, but warned there should be further action to prevent conflicts of interest under the code of conduct for officers.
The code stipulates that employees should not use their position to benefit themselves or others, and potential conflicts of interest must be declared. Considering the motion on Tuesday, South Cambridgeshire’s cabinet agreed not to take any further action, arguing that safeguards were already in place and the four-day week had led to service improvements.
In November, Labour withdrew guidance established by the Conservatives which said the Government does not support a four-day working week in local authorities. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch later challenged Sir Keir Starmer on the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions, saying a four-day week is not flexible working “but part-time work for full-time pay”.
