Council tops illness table

Council workers in Cannock Chase are the worst in the Midlands for the amount of sick days they take according to the latest figures.

On average every worker at the council took 13 days off sick last year, the highest rate of any council to confirm its final figures for 2008-09.

The number of sick days claimed by staff jumped up from 10.6 in 2007-08, while in the private sector the average sick rate is just 5.8 days per worker.

This year Cannock Council has been embroiled in an industrial dispute with Unison over annual holidays and the authority has also faced redundancies and huge cuts in public services.

Labour councillor Les Bullock said: "It doesn't surprise me. I know as a councillor that morale is absolutely on the floor.

"We need to find the root causes of the problem first and it seems people do not like to go to work for Cannock Chase District Council."

Jamie Summerfield, spokesman for the council said: "The council had succeeded in bringing down sickness absence from an average of 12.8 days per worker in 2005-06. We are concerned the figure for last year has risen to 13 days."

Neighbouring South Staffordshire Council had the lowest rate at just 6.96 days off last financial year.

Stafford Borough Council saw its staff claim 11 days off sick last year.

Staffordshire County Council lost 9.27 days to sickness in 2008-09.