Why Has the Government Ended Facility Time Transparency?

For eight years, taxpayers have been able to see how much public-sector Trade Union facility time is costing.

Now that national reporting requirement has gone.

Section 66 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 repealed the statutory requirement for relevant public-sector employers to publish Trade Union facility-time information. The provision came into force on 18 February 2026.

The Government's own website is clear:

“The reporting service is now closed.”

It goes on to state:

“Public-sector organisations are no longer required to submit data relating to the use of facility time in their organisation.”

Facility time allows public-sector employees to spend paid working time undertaking recognised Trade Union duties and activities. Where that time is paid for by a public-sector employer, there is a cost to the public purse.

Until now, the reporting system allowed taxpayers to see those costs.

The Government's stated reasoning is that removing the reporting requirements will reduce the administrative burden on public-sector employers and forms part of what it described during the passage of the legislation as “resetting the relationship between public sector employers and Trade Unions.

But the Workers of England Union believes taxpayers are entitled to ask a simple question.

Why remove transparency?

Our current analysis of the Government's published data indicates approximately £830 million was reported in public-sector facility-time costs between 2017/18 and 2024/25. This is a WEU calculation from Cabinet Office data and is being reconciled against the latest corrected datasets.

The Government's transition guidance confirms that an employer operating an April to March reporting year does not need to publish facility-time information for 2025/26.

That means the national picture taxpayers have had since 2017/18 will no longer continue through this statutory reporting system.

Why would a British Labour Government remove a requirement that allowed taxpayers to see how public money was being used?

There is another legitimate question.

The Labour Party supporting Trade Unions have historically provided substantial financial funding to the Labour Party. Is there any connection between that longstanding financial relationship and the decision to remove these reporting requirements?

We are not claiming that there is. But when a transparency requirement involving public money is removed, asking why is entirely reasonable.

The Government says this is about reducing administrative burdens and resetting relationships with Trade Unions.

The Workers of England Union believes transparency should be part of that relationship, not a casualty of it.

If public money continues to fund facility time, why shouldn't the public continue to see how much it costs?

Why has the British Labour Government decided that taxpayers no longer need this information?

Stephen Morris
General Secretary
Workers of England Union

Key Takeaways

• Repeal of Reporting Requirement: Section 66 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 repealed the requirement for public employers to publish facility-time data, effective 18 February 2026.
• Reporting Service Closed: Public sector organizations are no longer required to submit or publish facility time cost data for 2025/26 onwards.
• £830 Million Historical Cost: Over £830 million in facility time costs were recorded between 2017/18 and 2024/25 before public reporting was dismantled.
• Call for Continued Accountability: WEU questions the removal of public oversight, arguing that public spending transparency must remain a priority for taxpayers.