A council’s decision to let some staff stop working on Friday afternoons has led to frustration from residents.

Swale council is to move to a new 34-hour week by closing its headquarters in East Street, Sittingbourne, early in a bid to retain staff.

The decision will come into effect from next week and will see employees finish no later than 1.30pm.

Councillors voted in favour of the move as part of its budget in lieu of a staff pay rise.

A spokesman said: “Our phone lines will close from 1pm, and we will be closing the back office at 1.30pm – this is the quietest part of the week for our services.

"But key services such as bin collections and CCTV will remain operational, and the out-of hours services will be available if necessary.

"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.

"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.

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

Tory councillor James Hunt, who represents the Meads ward, believes it is not the right decision.

He said: “It’s another coalition move I feel will impact services.

“My view was that flexible working could be voluntary with council contact times changed to suit officers, and still have a functioning council at better times to suit residents.”

The announcement has also created an angry response from taxpayers.

Sheerness resident Kylie Bairner, who pays £145 a month in council tax, explained: “The services we receive are getting less and less and now they are closing early on a Friday too.

“Our local council office in Sheerness is no longer open as it used to be before lockdown, and we are expected to be able to get to Sittingbourne if we need to visit the office or to call the number provided for help.

“Our council tax rises, yet services are cut and staff finish earlier for the end of the week – joke.”

Commenting on Facebook, another person added: “This is appalling. I am sure those on the higher pay grades will still manage, but those staff on the lower levels will not have a pay rise - what good is having a few hours off and how will that feed the family or pay the bills?”

One more resident continued: “I think the council need a financial audit on how wisely money is spent and what items are put as expenses.

“Not much is done on the streets as there is litter is all over the place, and road conditions [which are KCC’s responsiblity] are absolutely unacceptable.”

However, not everyone criticised the decision – with one person believing it will benefit staff in the long-term.

They said: “It’s in lieu of a pay rise for council staff, and I’d prefer them to be at home with their families than sat twiddling their thumbs and getting paid to do so because no one needs the council offices on a Friday afternoon.”