THE much maligned decision to allow its chief executive to work a four-day week has been defended by Three Rivers District Council.

Councillors sparked fury last week when they voted to allow Dr Steven Halls to cut his working week from five to four days yet keep his £116,000 salary unchanged.

The decision, made by majority vote at a private meeting, was castigated by furious councillors, taxpayers, pressure groups and in many of the national newspapers.

Mark Wallace, from The Taxpayers Alliance, said: “This is absolutely crazy and clearly a bad deal for taxpayers. The principle should be simple – if you do less work, your pay goes down. No one in the private sector would get away with this kind of arrangement.”

Council leader Ann Shaw, claimed the decision was about “work-life balance”.

She said: “He has other outside interests that he wants to indulge in, such as music and his work as a magistrate.

“Women are allowed more flexible working hours, so why not men? I think it’s important for the top men to be well-rounded and not just glued to spreadsheets.

“I actually feel we should be paying him more at the moment. Most chief executives earn around £140,000 so his wages are at the lower end of the scale and we are getting a good deal.”

The council also claimed that his workload has been substantially reduced, with some responsibilities, such as council housing stock, being taken from his and the council’s hands.

Furious opposition councillors, however, claimed the deal, and the subsequent media coverage, had exposed the council to ridicule. Conservative councillor Chris Hayward, said: “They tried to keep it quiet by discussing in private but the public have a right to know, especially at a time when they are struggling to pay their mortgages.”

Dr Halls currently lives in Rickmansworth during the week but commutes back to his family home near Nottingham at the weekends.