Council staff off sick long-term soars by fifth since pandemic

The number of council staff off work on long-term sick leave has risen by a fifth since the pandemic.

Almost 10,000 town hall workers are currently off work through long-term sickness, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

Six in 10 councils have seen a rise in the number of staff off on long-term sick leave since 2019, the year before the Covid outbreak.

Long-term sick leave is classed by the Government as four or more weeks of absence because of sickness.

Critics said the increase since the pandemic highlighted the need to crack down on those using poor health as a reason not to work.

‘Work may need health warning’

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary, said: “Perhaps working from home is not so healthy after all.

“The extraordinary rise in sickness in the public sector is surely a management problem rather than a health one.

“Otherwise, working for the state will need a health warning.”

However, the Lib Dems said the figures showed that the Government needed to do far more to reduce NHS waiting lists so people get the healthcare they need.

The party sent a Freedom of Information request to all councils in England, with responses provided by 185 out of 317.

The responses show there were 9,979 council staff currently on long-term sick leave, up 18 per cent from 8,441 in 2019.

Some 58 per cent of councils had seen a rise in staff being off on long-term sickness compared to 2019, while 98 of the 185 councils also showed a year-on-year rise between 2023 and 2024.

Birmingham, the country’s largest council, has the highest number on long-term sick with 561 staff in this position, up from 390 in 2019.

The council declared itself effectively bankrupt last year, and is putting up its council tax by 21 per cent over two years.

At Leeds, there are 425 currently off, up from 254 in 2019.

Only four councils had no staff on long-term sick leave: West Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Rushmoor and Copeland.

Across the country, a record 2.8 million people are out of work owing to long-term sickness.

‘Taxpayers are fed up’

Previous data from the Lib Dems revealed almost 12,000 key workers across the UK including nurses, police officers and firefighters were stuck on long-term sick leave.

Darwin Friend, head of research at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers are fed up with the sick leave culture that has spread like an epidemic from Whitehall to town halls.

“The public sector posts far higher sick leave than the private sector, which is shocking given hours tend to be shorter, annual leave is more generous, and flexible working is more common.

“Local government should ensure that this system is not being abused, and should aim to bring levels in line with the private sector.”

Helen Morgan, the Lib Dems’ local government spokesman, called on ministers to cut waiting lists and ensure people receive good quality care so they can return to work faster.

“These figures reveal a long-term sickness epidemic hitting local councils across the country,” she said.

‘Government is to blame’

“Council staff are working hard every day to deliver for their local communities while facing the stress of government funding cuts and having to operate on a shoestring.

“Under the Conservatives, more people are going off with long-term sickness and not getting the support they need.

“Rishi Sunak is happy to point the finger at staff who are ill while ignoring the serious issues caused by his government’s neglect of the NHS.

“The NHS is as stretched as it’s ever been and this government is to blame - they’re failing patients and hurting our local services at the same time.

“Ministers need to tackle waiting lists and give workers across the country the high quality care they deserve.”