HUNDREDS of council staff ‘working from the beach’ as town hall bosses allow more than one thousand requests to work from overseas over past three years

• Town hall bosses have granted more than 1,350 requests to work overseas
• Workers are in countries such as Spain, Australia, Dubai, Brazil, India and more 

Hundreds of council staff are ‘working from the beach’ – with a ten-fold increase in the number allowed to log in from abroad.

Town hall bosses have granted more than 1,350 requests to work from overseas over the past three years, figures show.

The number jumped from 73 approvals in 2020/21, the year the Covid-19 pandemic was at its height, to 440 in 2021/22. It then surged to more than 700 last year as the remote-working revolution took hold. One local authority granted nearly 300 requests over the three-year period.

As many workers return to their jobs today after the summer holidays, the figures will infuriate council taxpayers who do not have the luxury of working remotely.

Council employees have been allowed to log in for weeks, months and even years from far-flung destinations, according to responses to Freedom of Information requests by the TaxPayers’ Alliance. 

Hundreds of council staff are ‘working from the beach’ – with a ten-fold increase in the number allowed to log in from abroad (stock photo)

They include Spain, Australia, Dubai, Brazil, India, Italy, France, Thailand, the Philippines, Jamaica, Croatia, South Africa, Turkey, Egypt, Gran Canaria and Indonesia.

There were examples of staff being forced to work abroad due to Covid restrictions preventing their return to Britain, but the number of requests granted increased ten-fold to 708 in 2022-23, when travel curbs had been scrapped. 

Figures from accountancy firm RSM UK in July showed that 33 per cent of businesses are allowing employees to work remotely outside the UK. The phenomenon has been branded ‘working from the beach’.

READ MORE: HMRC staff leave TEN MILLION phone calls unanswered a year as it is revealed that 80 per cent of employees now work from home

It comes as the private sector shifts away from working from home, with the likes of HSBC banks and even Zoom saying staff should be in the office more often. And Chancellor Jeremy Hunt recently said that going into the office should be the ‘default’ option.

Councils doubled down last night, saying that ‘flexible working’ was crucial for recruiting and retaining the right staff. But MPs branded the approvals ‘absurd’ and called on ministers to investigate.

Conservative MP Peter Bone said: ‘Most people will think this is really unacceptable and outrageous. Local councils need to be in touch with people locally to deliver good public services. You can’t do the job properly if you’re not local.’

Fellow Tory Sir John Redwood added: ‘For better delivery of public services, it would be much better if councils found people locally who need the jobs and can go into the office on a more regular basis.’

Former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘It indicates a contempt for the taxpayer – they’re just not taking work seriously. We have a productivity problem in this country, particularly in the public sector, which has been exacerbated by working from home. Working from abroad is likely to be even less productive.’

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt recently said that going into the office should be the ‘default’ option

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Hard-pressed households will be shocked by the number of public sector staff working from abroad. Residents forking out record rates expect officials to be using the office space taxpayers are footing the bill for. Council staff should get off the sun loungers and get back to town halls.’

Barnet Council in north London granted the most requests (286) to work from abroad. This was followed by Merton Council in south London (251) and Islington Council in north London (237). 

Croydon Council in south London allowed an employee to log on from abroad for 842 days, and a Wigan Council staff member has worked from France for two years. 

Several staff on six-figure salaries were among those given permission to log on from overseas, and more than 70 councils across the UK approved requests.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance sent Freedom of Information requests to all 383 councils in the UK, with 320 responding. On top of the 1,221 approved requests in the past three years, a further 137 requests were given the green light, but the councils did not supply yearly breakdowns.

Barnet Council said: ‘Flexible working is crucial for recruiting and retaining the right staff, and we only allow working from abroad for limited periods and where we are satisfied it won’t affect the employee’s ability to do their job and productivity.’

Islington Council said its tally included cases of staff seeking permission to take their device abroad on holiday in case they needed to use it in an emergency.

Barnet (file image) Council in north London granted the most requests (286) to work from abroad

A spokesman added: ‘Islington Council recognises the importance of flexible working options to provide our staff with greater choice and flexibility.’

A spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represents town halls, said: ‘Councils have long experience of managing staff remotely and it is a matter for individual councils to agree where staff can work from depending on their role and ensuring the needs of the business are met.’

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: ‘Wherever their staff work from, councils must ensure that their services remain efficient and easily accessible to the public, while also being cost-effective to the taxpayer.’

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