Reform council won't ban policy Nigel Farage called 'nonsense'
The Reform leader of Lincolnshire County Council says ending its working from home policy wouldn’t be ‘value for money’.
Party leader Nigel Farage has recently taken aim at the policy, saying people were less productive out of the workplace.
The council allows employees to divide their time between home and office where appropriate as a part of its ‘smarter working policy’.
Many of the council jobs on its website are advertised as flexible, although those in Mayor Andrea Jenkyns’ office are all office-based.
Speaking at a rally in Birmingham last week, Mr Farage said: “It’s an attitude change that Britain needs.
“An attitude change to hard work rather than work-life balance. An attitude change to working from home.
“People aren’t more productive when they’re working from home – it’s nonsense.
“They’re more productive being with fellow human beings and working as part of a team.”
Councillor Sean Matthews, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said there wasn’t enough space to have all employees in the building.
“The council previously reduced office space to save money, and we simply don’t think spending millions of pounds to completely end home working would be value for money for taxpayers,” he said.
“For some of our 6,000 staff, working five days a week in an office location is already the norm, but we have a smarter working policy that means it’s up to managers to determine what is right for their service and what the requirement is from their staff to be in an office location.”
Most council business meetings are conducted on Microsoft Teams to reduce business costs, time and the carbon emissions of commuting, according to its website.
However, Reform Mayor Andrea Jenkyns requires all employees to be in the office.
She posted a ‘meme’ while announcing new job roles last year, saying ‘RIP Remote working, 2020-2024’.