Exclusive: Councils allow more than half of their office staff to work from home

Councils across the country have been allowing more than half of their office staff to work from home, with some residents saying it is affecting services, The Telegraph can disclose.

An investigation by The Telegraph has found that only 10 per cent of employees at two local authorities were based in the office earlier this year.

Forty-one local authorities in England have provided data on the proportion of workers coming into the office, with 28 councils saying that more than 50 per cent of employees worked from home in April.

Five councils revealed that social distancing measures prevented offices being used to their full capacity – despite the Government lifting these formal restrictions months ago.

The data does not include workers who would typically be based in the community, such as bin men or social workers.

While some councils told The Telegraph that they operated a hybrid policy which means employees were split between different locations and therefore not always at home, the disclosure about the numbers based out of the office is likely to raise concerns that services could be compromised.

Councils must ‘shake themselves out of lockdown’

The revelation comes as services provided by councils – including parking permits, planning applications and council tax rebates – have been hit by large delays, with many residents becoming frustrated.

On Friday, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Minister for Government Efficiency, condemned the numbers of staff working away from the office.

“Councils must stop wasting money on poor working practices and shake themselves out of lockdown,” he said.

“They must remember they serve their taxpayer and their voters. Those refusing to come to work or provide services in person are taking the public for a ride.”

One mother and son in Knowsley, Merseyside, told The Telegraph that they felt council employees working from home had “massively impacted” the service they received when they had claimed for a council tax rebate.

Their local authority - Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council - disclosed that 25 per cent of staff were working from home in April. In a statement they said that their “working arrangements are constantly under review and … are aligned to the needs of the service”.

Members of the Government have previously been highly critical of civil servants failing to return full time to the office.

Number of desks reduced

Using the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), The Telegraph surveyed all local authorities in England requesting data on the proportion of staff still working from home during April this year.

Data showed that 16 local authorities have reduced the number of desks available in council offices since the pandemic, including Tamworth Borough Council which said there had been an 81 per cent reduction.

Councillor Jeremy Oates, leader of Tamworth Borough Council, defended the move, saying the council had “made the trailblazing decision to permanently embrace technology that allows us to maintain high-quality services to residents while working in a different way”.

The councils with the fewest staff in the office were Dorset County Council and North East Lincolnshire which both said that 10 per cent of staff were based there, followed by Leicestershire County Council which said they had 11 per cent.

When asked why the figures were so low, a Dorset Council spokesman said it had “maintained home working for those who wish to do so”.

They added that “hybrid facilities were in place to ensure that both public and internal meetings can take place effectively”.

‘Services are outstanding’

North East Lincolnshire Council said that they developed a “Covid exit strategy” after taking advice from official agencies.

Leicestershire County Council did not respond to questions.

The London Borough of Ealing said that in April 15 per cent of staff worked from the office, with East Hampshire District Council disclosing that it was 16 per cent

In a statement, Councillor Richard Millard, leader of East Hampshire District Council, said that the council’s “services are outstanding”.

Michael Malone, who has multiple sclerosis and lives with his mother in Knowsley, said that when they initially applied for their council tax rebate – a payment which was brought in by the Government to address the cost of living crisis – they were told they would receive the money by the end of April.

When this did not happen, the couple made multiple calls to the council to chase up the money.

‘They didn’t call back’

They said that out of roughly six phone calls, staff who answered the phone said that they were based at home and this led to them having to end the phone call to check information.

“They would say they would call back, but they didn’t,” said July-Ann Malone. “If they had been in the office, it is more likely they could have put me on hold to ask a manager.”

In a statement, Knowsley Council said that the delay had arisen because of a change of bank details by the resident and that “all the team processing the rebates are working in the office full-time”.

Craven District Council said that its “flexible ways of working has always been underpinned by making sure business needs are still met and this applies to working from home which is why we have continued to offer a hybrid solution”.

It said that “if the business needs to necessitate being in the office then those members of staff are asked to come and work in the office”.

Councillor Richard Wright, leader of North Kesteven District Council, said that the “council is moving to a defined and long-term agile way of working which allows us to serve the needs of our residents and communities along with the opportunity to lessen carbon by reducing journeys, in line with our aim for the council and district to reach net carbon zero by 2030, and provide flexibility for our colleagues”.

It said it continued to review its processes regularly.

Ealing Council, Havant District Council, South Derbyshire and Three Rivers District Council did not respond to questions.