London's Southwark Council rejects four-day week as Green-led neighbours trial it

London's Southwark Council has confirmed it currently has no plans to adopt a four-day working week for its municipal staff. South London News reported on October 31 that the council said it has 'no current plans' to join neighbouring London authorities in exploring or trialling reduced hours, and will keep its traditional five-day schedule.

Why neighbours are trialling it

The push for trials comes from recruitment and workforce-stability pressures. Green-run Lambeth Council has confirmed a trial of the four-day week, aiming to tackle high staff turnover and sickness rates while maintaining productivity. Lambeth Council leader Martin Abrams told the Green Party conference in Brighton earlier this month that staff retention and turnover problems cost local authorities tens of millions of pounds a year in recruitment and staffing costs, and that councils should act boldly if a measure like the four-day week can stem those losses.

Other boroughs and the precedent

Beyond Lambeth, the Green Mayor of Lewisham, Liam Shrivastava, is examining the feasibility of a four-day week for council staff, and Green-led Hackney Council has begun considering similar arrangements. The model typically means 100 percent of pay for 80 percent of traditional hours in exchange for 100 percent output. Supporters cite South Cambridgeshire District Council, the first UK local authority to trial the model in early 2023 and which moved to a permanent four-day week last year, reporting improved retention, lower agency spending and sustained performance.

What the split means

Southwark's stance keeps service schedules unchanged and avoids the operational risks of restructuring working hours. But if neighbouring trials show lower recruitment costs, Southwark could face tougher competition for scarce roles such as social care, planning and housing management. The report stresses this is the council's current position; whether it changes will depend on how the neighbours' trials perform.