West Northamptonshire Council staff to continue hybrid and remote work

West Northamptonshire Council has confirmed that its employees will be able to continue their hybrid and remote working arrangements.

The council is predominately run by the Reform UK party, which spoke out against employees working from home.

This year, West Northamptonshire Council carried out a review of its working practices to look at the successes and challenges of its West Ways of Working approach, which was introduced in 2022. Aiming to optimise productivity, desk space and taxpayer savings, it sets out staff working arrangements and how offices operate.

Following the completion of the review, as well as a discussion about the data and findings with the administration, the cabinet said it is happy for the current working arrangements to continue for now.

Anna Earnshaw, chief executive of West Northamptonshire Council, said: “The new administration was understandably keen to understand the context of how staff currently work within the organisation and its successes and challenges. They also wanted to validate for themselves what the benefits or costs would be in having more staff based in the offices.

“Senior managers provided the cabinet with a full overview of the current arrangements including worker types and mixes, the office optimisation plans and savings and to provide some context around the impacts on the workforce retention, savings and costs if we changed the arrangements and brought more staff back into the office permanently.”

Councillor Andrew Last, cabinet member for HR and corporate services at West Northamptonshire Council, added: “West Northamptonshire Council is committed to fostering a modern, inclusive, and high-performing workplace. We continually seek opportunities to support our employees in thriving within hybrid working environments.

“As part of our duty of care, we ensure that all staff, whether working from a structured office setting or remotely, are provided with the appropriate tools, guidance, and support to perform their roles effectively. Our approach is underpinned by the principle that flexible working must align with service delivery standards and good organisational performance. We regularly review our working practices to ensure they meet the needs of both our workforce and the communities we serve.”