A Labour-run council has been slammed after moving ahead with plans to let staff work from abroad for up to four weeks at a time. Bassetlaw District Council saw its joint employee council approve the scheme a month ago, arguing the “short-term working abroad policy” would “support employees with family or personal ties abroad.”
When implemented, staff working for the Red Wall council will be able to request to work from an overseas location for up to a month. The council said: “The policy has been developed in response to evolving workforce needs and to support employees with family or personal ties abroad, while maintaining service delivery and safeguarding council assets.” While questions were raised about risk assessments, it remains unclear how work could be completed if the employee were staying in a vastly different time zone.
Reform UK has led the backlash, telling the Express that the work from abroad policy is “completely out of touch with the people of Bassetlaw”.
Cllr Fraser McFarland, group leader for Reform UK on Bassetlaw District Council, which is in north Nottinghamshire, blasted: “At a time when residents are struggling with the cost of living, the idea that council employees can work from holiday resorts halfway around the world is both tone-deaf and damaging to public confidence.
“Local government should be rooted in the community it serves — not on a beach with a cocktail.
“I am calling for an immediate review and a full U-turn on this policy before any lasting damage is done to the council’s credibility.”
The Taxpayers’ Alliance, the think tank fighting for value for money from the public sector, added that councils need to “cut the nonsense”.
The group’s chief John O’Connell said: “Council tax continues to increase despite Sir Keir Starmer explicitly promising it wouldn’t in the election campaign, so any plans to further feather the nests of cosseted public sector workers will enrage families and businesses trying to make ends meet.
“Residents already feel like they pay more for less, so moves like this will hardly inspire confidence that service delivery will improve. Local politicians and bureaucrats should cut the nonsense and focus on delivering the high quality services that taxpayers deserve.”
Responding to local social media outrage at the work from abroad policy, the council subsequently put out a statement insisting that the policy is primarily designed to support staff “facing exceptional and traumatic situations abroad, such as family funerals”.
Deputy council leader Jonathan Slater insisted: “It is not a means of extending annual leave, nor will it accommodate lifestyle choices like working in a different climate.
“The procedure, as proposed, would not create an automatic entitlement. Requests would be considered strictly on a case-by-case basis and only used where there is a compelling reason, such as avoiding vital service disruption with performance being closely monitored.”
The move by Bassetlaw District Council comes shortly after South Cambridgeshire Council announced plans to move to a permanent four-day work week, despite the trial resulting in a number of work areas seeing a “statistically significant decline” in output.
A residents’ survey also saw a “significant decline in satisfaction ratings” compared to before the four-day trial was introduced, as residents slammed the quality of service on key functions like bin collections, climate and environment, communications, council tax, the customer contact centre, elections, and environmental health, licensing, and the planning service.
