Communities Secretary Steve Reed has been accused of blatant hypocrisy after official figures revealed that almost one in ten civil servants within his own department are working four-day weeks on full pay. This revelation comes despite his strong public stance against local councils adopting similar working arrangements.
Departmental Figures Expose Contradiction
Analysis conducted by the Conservative Party shows that 339 staff members at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) are currently working under compressed hours arrangements. This represents approximately 9 percent of the department's total workforce, all receiving their full salaries while working reduced weekly hours.
These civil servants are required to complete either 37 hours per week for those who joined after 2013, or 36 hours for longer-serving staff members. The compressed arrangements allow them to fulfill these requirements over four days rather than the traditional five-day working pattern.
Contrast With Council Policy
The situation stands in stark contrast to Reed's position regarding local government. At the end of last year, the Communities Secretary wrote to all council leaders across England, explicitly warning them against introducing four-day working weeks for their staff.
In his letter, Reed stated he had made the government's policy "unambiguously clear to all councils" regarding compressed working arrangements. He further warned that "council staff undertaking part-time work for full-time pay without compelling justification would be considered an indicator, among a wide range of factors, of potential failure."
Political Reaction and Accusations
Tory shadow local government minister David Simmonds was quick to condemn the apparent contradiction. "This is blatant hypocrisy from Labour's Housing Secretary, who is unable or unwilling to enforce his approach to the four-day week in his own department," Simmonds stated.
The criticism centers on what opponents describe as a "do as I say, not as I do" approach from the cabinet minister. While Reed has positioned himself as taking a hard line against four-day weeks in local government, his own department appears to be operating under different standards.
Not the First Controversy
This is not the first time Steve Reed has faced accusations of hypocrisy in his ministerial role. Earlier this year, he was branded a "NIMBY" after attempting to block a housing development in his own constituency, despite publicly championing ambitious housing construction targets with his "build, baby, build" rhetoric.
The Telegraph reported on both controversies, highlighting what critics describe as a pattern of contradictory behavior between the minister's public statements and his private actions.
Departmental Response
An MHCLG spokesman defended the department's position, stating: "The figures show staff doing five days' worth of working hours for five days' pay." This suggests the department views the compressed hours arrangements as legitimate, with employees completing their required weekly hours over fewer days rather than working reduced hours overall.
The controversy raises questions about consistency in government policy implementation and whether different standards apply to central government departments compared to local authorities. As the debate over flexible working arrangements continues across both public and private sectors, this revelation adds fuel to an already contentious discussion about work-life balance and productivity in modern workplaces.
