Council sick day toll rises by 25pc

Sickness rates among staff at South Staffordshire Council have increased, new figures show.

Workers took an average of almost nine sick days in 2009/10 - up 25 per cent on the year before.

The council, which employs 413 people, said swine flu may have pushed up the figures, which it claims still compare favourably with neighbouring authorities.

The absence rates are well above the private sector average, estimated in some reports at around 5.8 days.

A new report for South Staffordshire Council lists rising sickness absence as "the most disappointing" aspect of its performance in the last financial year.

An average employee took 8.8 days off sick compared to 6.95 in 2008/09.

Councillor Roger Lees, cabinet member for community services, said today: "We do have a policy of scrutinising every day off that a member of staff has. It's probably long-term absences that caused the increase."

Council staff in Wolverhampton took an average of 11.4 sick days each last year.

A report by CBI/Pfizer revealed £5.5bn could be saved for the public purse by 2015-16 if the public sector matched the private sector's absence rates.

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