More than 100 business and charity leaders have signed an open letter calling on ministers to “lead the country’s transition toward a shorter working week”, amid a growing row over the future of the four-day week in local government.
The letter, coordinated by the 4 Day Week Foundation, comes after Steve Reed, the local government secretary, criticised South Cambridgeshire District Council — the first in England to trial a four-day working week — claiming the move had harmed performance and value for money.
In a letter leaked to The Telegraph, Reed expressed his “deep disappointment” at the council’s decision to make its four-day trial permanent. Citing an independent report, he said performance had “declined in key housing-related services including rent collection, reletting times and tenant satisfaction with repairs”.
In response, more than 100 senior figures from across business, charities and trade unions have urged the government to establish a working time council to oversee and guide a nationwide shift towards a four-day 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.”
Signatories include employers who have already adopted reduced-hour working patterns and report benefits in productivity, staff wellbeing, and retention.
Bridget Smith, leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, rejected Reed’s claims, insisting that “independently assessed data” showed the vast majority of council services had improved or remained stable during the trial.
“I am extremely disappointed by Mr Reed’s letter,” she said. “Our staff have done 100% of their work in 32 hours each week since the four-day week began. Our financial analysis indicates that we are saving around £399,000 per year, largely by cutting our reliance on agency staff.”
The trial, which began in 2023, has been closely watched across the public sector. At least 25 other councils are understood to be exploring similar pilots for next year.
Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Foundation, described Reed’s intervention as “frankly ridiculous” and said it made the government look “outdated and stuck in the past.”
“The evidence shows that four-day weeks and flexible working are good for workers and for businesses,” he said. “The council overall is outperforming other local authorities — so cherry-picking a few metrics is frustrating and disingenuous.”
Ryle added that while the private sector has embraced shorter weeks “with hundreds of companies now operating successfully on that model,” the idea becomes “politicised as soon as it enters the public sector.”
The UK government has no legal power to ban councils from adopting four-day work patterns, but ministers can exert political pressure.
According to Office for National Statistics data, more than 200,000 workers have switched to a four-day week since the pandemic. The 4 Day Week Foundation estimates that at least 430 companies, representing 13,000 workers, have now adopted shorter working weeks nationwide.
Advocates say the model improves productivity, work-life balance and recruitment, while critics warn it risks inefficiency and disruption in essential public services.
For now, the debate over the four-day week appears set to intensify — with councils, campaigners and businesses urging ministers not to stand in the way of what they see as an inevitable shift in how Britain works.
