Changes to Office Opening Times

Published Tuesday 25 April, 2023
Last updated on Tuesday 25 April, 2023

From the week beginning 1 May, we will be closing our offices early on Friday afternoons as we move to a new 34-hour week.

This is part of a wider programme of transformation taking place at the council to put us on a sound footing to better serve our residents.

Our phone lines will close from 13:00pm on Fridays, and we will be closing the back office at 13:30, but key services such as bin collections and CCTV will remain operational, and the out of hours services will be available if necessary.

We have made plans to make sure we have a smooth transition to the new arrangements, but these aren’t set in stone. We will be monitoring and amending the arrangements, if necessary, before the change is made permanent at the end of the year.

Friday afternoon is the quietest part of the week for our services, and the change was agreed by councillors as part of the budget in lieu of a pay rise for council staff.

The reduced hours will help recruit and retain staff when local government funding is continuing to fall.