The public should be able to access information and key local services should continue during the period of mourning leading up to the state funeral, Whitehall has said.
However, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has recognised that maintaining services may be ‘challenging’.
In official guidance to local authorities, the department said: ‘Many LA [local authority] employees will wish to join the nation in commemorating the life of Her Majesty the Queen and participate in national and local events, including those taking place on the bank holiday.’
‘LAs should therefore seek to strike a balance between maintaining services where appropriate and enabling staff to have time off where possible.’
Council workers will not be automatically entitled to take off the bank holiday.
The guidance continued: ‘As with all bank holidays, there is no statutory entitlement to time off. The entitlement to time off will depend on personal terms and conditions.’
It will be a matter for discussion between employers and their staff whether people will be allowed the day off though the Government has said it wanted as many people as possible to be able to join the commemorations.
The DLUHC guidance said, where possible, councils should consider how to mitigate the impact of the bank holiday on services and make the public aware of any essential service changes.
