Caerphilly County Borough Council is considering adopting a more formal approach to flexible working, which has been used during the coronavirus lockdown periods.

A report considered by the council’s policy and scrutiny committee said remote working had “proven to be intuitive and stable”.

Although it made clear that any future flexible working approach would not mean exclusively working form home, but a range of options would be considered.

Other options being considered include time split between the office and home and flexible working hours.

While many councillors at the committee meeting voiced support for the scheme in principle, there were some concerns raised.

Councillor Elaine Forehead, who represents the St James ward, said she had concerns around loneliness and isolation if people worked from home all the time.

“I think that can have an input when you withdraw people from a team and they are working alone,” she said.

“But another thing I’m also concerned about is people living with domestic abuse.

“Sometimes that workplace can be that little bit of respite that gives them coping mechanisms to get through the rest of the day.”

Penyrheol councillor Lindsay Whittle said there were a lot of unanswered questions, while Newbridge councillor Gary Johnston questioned whether it would eventually lead to people not having a choice.

The committee agreed that the council continued to look at plans for a more formal approach to flexible working and called for regular updates on the progress.

A staff survey on flexible working found that 50% of council staff that responded wanted to split their time between home and office working.

23% preferred to work from home and 21% wanted to work from the office but have the option to work from home occasionally.

An updated report will come back to the committee in January to update councillors on more detailed plans for flexible working.