Newport heatwave: council staff told to take annual leave

Newport City Council made the decision to close the central library on Tuesday, June 23, in light of the extreme heat weather warnings.

All council libraries were also closed on Wednesday and Thursday, as Newport endured a red weather warning for extreme heat. 

According to Newport City Council, this decision was communicated to staff in advance and they were advised to work from home.

However, people in roles where working from home is not possible were told to use annual leave. 

There was also the option for them to be redeployed in line with "the council's inclement weather policy".

There had been speculation that some staff were told to take unpaid leave, however the Council have confirmed this was not the case.

A spokesperson for Newport City Council said: "The council took an early decision to close the central library on Tuesday, and all council libraries on Wednesday and Thursday, due to the extreme heat weather warnings in place.

"This decision was communicated to staff in advance, and where possible, staff were advised to work from home.

"For staff in roles where working from home would not be possible, they were given an option to use annual leave or be redeployed in line with the council’s inclement weather policy.

"No staff were told to take unpaid leave".

A red weather warning has been in place across Gwent for the last two days, with temperatures in Newport reaching 35C.

As well as closing libraries, the majority of primary and secondary schools across Newport and the wider area also made the decision to close in order to keep pupils and staff safe during the unprecedented heatwave.

This decision was also taken by schools across Gwent, and several public services were also disrupted with bin collections being pushed forward, for example.

The Met Office confirmed earlier today, June 25, that Chepstow and Monmouth were on track to be the hottest places in the UK, with highs of 38C predicted for approximately two hours.