This is despite South Cambridgeshire district council reporting that their trial has helped improve recruitment and saved more than £500,000 on hiring agency workers.

Lee Rowley, Britain’s minister for local government, said this week: “This guidance makes clear that the government does not support a four-day working week and does not expect councils to adopt this arrangement. This guidance will support councils in discharging their duties and to ensure that they maintain their work to continuously improve and demonstrate best value.

“The government is being extremely clear that it does not support the adoption of the four-day working week within the local government sector. Local authorities that are considering adopting it should not do so. Those who have adopted it already should end this practice immediately. Those councils who continue to disregard this guidance are now on notice that the government will take necessary steps in the coming months ahead to ensure that this practice is ended within local government.

“Asking the taxpayer to shoulder the full-time expense for part time hours by deleting 20% of the working week is not compatible with a council’s requirement to demonstrate value for money.”

Yet another study points to benefits of the 4-day working week