How councils have let employees ‘work from seaside’ in overeseas international locations

Councils throughout the nation already with enormous finances deficits have let employees register from international locations as far-off as Australia and New Zealand, it has emerged.

Furious taxpayers have hit out on the luxurious way of life being loved by dozens of publicly-funded workers, whereas potholes litter their roads and different providers are slashed to the bone.

As nicely as being allowed to work from the consolation of their houses, employees are additionally escaping the wet situations altogether to work from sunny international locations around the globe, in line with a Freedom of Information request by the Telegraph. 

Do your colleagues work from the seaside? Email [email protected] 

Hybrid working – the place employees divide their time between house and the workplace – has been utilized by most councils because the pandemic.

But it has emerged that some authorities additionally allow employees to work remotely throughout the globe, the place they could have household commitments and even vacation houses.

It comes in opposition to a backdrop of a number of city halls declaring chapter, with nearly all planning a council tax hike later this 12 months in one other hammer blow to residents already scuffling with the value of residing disaster. 

At Enfield Council, 20 workers labored in a ‘hybrid kind from overseas’ since 2021.

Countries that employees holidayed in whereas working included Cyprus, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy and the Netherlands, The Telegraph discovered.

Tory Councillor Maria Alexandrou disapproves and believes the council is sending the incorrect message.

Speaking to The Telegraph, she stated: ‘It’s surprising that Enfield deems it acceptable to permit employees to work from throughout the globe.’

She added that it brings a ‘new which means’ to the phrase ‘earn a living from home’ and raises questions in regards to the native authority’s ‘work ethic’.

A spokesperson for the council instructed MailOnline: ‘The Council is dedicated to supporting versatile working preparations, supplied that the enterprise wants of the Council are met. 

‘Approval to work from an abroad location is simply agreed by exception, for brief durations and solely the place it’s enterprise important. 

‘Given that the Council employs greater than 3,500 employees, the quantity of people that had permission to work overseas in 2023/4 quantities to round 0.4 per cent of the workforce.’

For Thurrock Council in Essex, lower than 5 employees members labored on a hybrid sample from overseas within the final two years and returned to the UK full-time in January, however would not say which international locations they labored from, in line with The Telegraph.

Meanwhile, in Aberdeen City Council, three employees members labored from one other nation between 2021 and April 2023, dropping to 2 final 12 months.

These international locations had been Bulgaria, Dubai and Germany. The council instructed The Telegraph that this was to ‘guarantee excessive requirements of customer support had been maintained’.

It added that these preparations are frequently reviewed and are sometimes authorised to permit employees to take care of ‘unexpected circumstances’.

Kent County Council solely has one employees member who ‘resides and works’ from Belgium.

Of its 9,000 employees, 31 have approval to earn a living from home within the UK completely.

A Kent County Council spokesperson instructed MailOnline: ‘Kent County Council has one worker in Brussels who relies completely within the workplace of Hauts-de-France. 

‘This has been the case for a few years, previous to the pandemic, and is nothing to do with the authority’s hybrid or versatile working preparations.

‘The member of employees based mostly in Brussels is solely chargeable for collaborative mission work, similar to with the continental native authorities which make up the Straits Committee, a voluntary partnership with French, Belgian and Dutch native authorities that was launched post-Brexit to supply a framework for co-operation in areas of mutual curiosity.’

Berkshire’s Bracknell Forest council has one employees member who lives in Australia completely, and an ICT worker working from New Zealand for an prolonged period of time.

In Devon, South Hams council has one employees member – within the waste division – working from each the workplace and from Spain since 2021.

Last 12 months, one other worker in that division additionally labored from Spain and a distinct employees member working from Australia and the places of work.

But quite a few councils responded to The Telegraph’s FOI by saying they didn’t know what number of employees labored from house as the knowledge wasn’t held centrally.

The native authorities for Kensington and Chelsea say that working from overseas shouldn’t be allowed. 

It follows the announcement that the majority native authorities are planning a most 4.99 per pent hike in council tax in April.

Figures present 129 out of 136 county and unitary native authorities in England who’ve made bulletins are rising levies by 4.99 per cent in April.

That is the utmost permitted by the Government with out having a neighborhood referendum and means the typical Band D family will face an rise of £103 over the following 12 months.

In distinction, simply three in 4 councils supposed to levy the utmost this time final 12 months, in line with information compiled by the County Councils Network (CCN).

Seventeen top-tier authorities are but to declare their council tax intentions.

Four councils which have beforehand issued part 114 notices declaring efficient chapter – Birmingham, Woking, Slough and Thurrock – have been given particular dispensation by the Government to boost council tax by 10 per cent.

Some councils have agreed on the utmost enhance however plan to introduce measures to mitigate the impression on residents, similar to making support-funding accessible to low-income households.

Councils are stated to be making financial savings by boosting preventative measures in kids’s and grownup social care, however this method will take time to have an effect on funds.

The CCN has known as on the following authorities to implement a ‘complete’ reform programme to drive down prices, together with an overhaul of the legislative framework for college transport and motion to cut back charges charged by personal suppliers within the kids’s social care market.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson stated: ‘We recognise councils are dealing with challenges and that’s the reason we not too long ago introduced a further £600 million assist bundle for councils throughout England, rising their total funding for the upcoming monetary 12 months to £64.7billion – a 7.5 per cent enhance in money phrases.

‘Councils are chargeable for their very own funds and set council tax ranges, however we’ve got been clear they need to be aware of cost-of-living pressures. We proceed to guard taxpayers from extreme council tax will increase by means of referendum rules.’

But city halls had been instructed to proceed to make effectivity financial savings to keep away from passing the buck to taxpayers.