Anyone anywhere can respond to a full public consultation which started at 9am today (Monday 27 January). The consultation is open for eight weeks, closing at 11.59pm on Sunday 23 March.
South Cambridgeshire residents can access the consultation at www.scambs.gov.uk/4DW - Any South Cambridgeshire residents who would prefer to complete a paper survey can email communications@scambs.gov.uk or call 01954 713 000.
Given South Cambridgeshire District and Cambridge City councils share some key services – Greater Cambridge Shared Planning and Greater Cambridge Shared Waste – residents of Cambridge city are also being encouraged to comment on their experiences of using these services.
Residents of Cambridge city can access the consultation at www.cambridge.gov.uk/4DW - Anyone in Cambridge city who would prefer to complete a paper survey can email communications@cambridge.gov.uk to get a copy.
The information gathered during the consultation will help South Cambridgeshire District Councillors decide on the next steps for the four-day week at the Council.
The consultation was started after the Council Leader, Cllr Bridget Smith, signed a Decision Notice to approve its launch. This followed a discussion at January’s Scrutiny and Overview Committee meeting.
The consultation has been set-up so that residents can share their views on how they have found Council services since January 2023 – when a trial of a four-day week began.
The Council announced plans to trial a four-day week – where people deliver 100% of their work, in around 80% of their hours, for 100% of their pay – to help address acute recruitment and retention issues.
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Resources, Cllr John Williams, said: “We’d really appreciate residents taking the time to respond to this consultation. It’s always been our plan to give residents, businesses, parish and town councils and community groups the chance to share their views. We want to understand your experiences of services you’ve received during our four-day week arrangements. So, we are very pleased to have now started that process. Our approach is designed to ensure those who have used our services during the four-day week arrangements can quickly and easily share their views - though anyone, anywhere is welcome to submit comments.”
Cllr Mike Davey, Leader of Cambridge City Council, said: “We have supported the four-day week trial from the start, as South Cambridgeshire District Council works to find innovative solutions to the recruitment and retention challenges facing councils across the country, which has a knock-on impact on the cost of delivering services.
"The most important factor for us has always been ensuring our residents continue to receive high quality, reliable services, and we have been keeping a close eye on this throughout – the frequency of bin collections hasn’t changed, and the planning service has been open for business five days a week throughout. We want our residents’ voices to be heard – if you're a Cambridge resident please take part by visiting www.cambridge.gov.uk/4DW"
The idea of the four-day week at the Council is to help attract and keep talented colleagues in an incredibly competitive local employment market. It is also to help improve services by filling vacant posts permanently, rather than relying on more expensive agency staff. Regularly changing staff, or using agency staff to cover, is both costly and disruptive to services for residents.
Last summer, an independent report by two universities into the Council’s performance during its four-day week trial was published. Of 24 key performance indicators monitored by the Council, analysis by the Universities of Cambridge and Salford found 22 improved or remained the same. There was also a financial assessment of the trial, which outlined a known full year cost saving of £371,500. The Council’s opening hours have been maintained so it has been open for business just as it was before the trial – with longer opening hours on Wednesdays too.
Image: Dzmitry Dzemidovich, Getty Images via Canva
