Sick Leave in Councils Rises 20 Percent Since Lockdown: FOI Data

Almost 10,000 council employees in England are on long-term sick leave, an increase of nearly one-fifth since before the lockdown, according to data obtained by the Liberal Democrats. Figures obtained via Freedom of Information requests and published by the party on Thursday showed that as of Feb. 12, there were 9,979 council staff on long-term sickness leave, up 18 percent from 8,441 in 2019. The report found that six in ten (58 percent) of the 185 councils which responded had seen a rise in the number of staff on long-term illness—classed as four or more weeks of absence due to sickness—since before the pandemic. Liberal Democrat local government spokeswoman Helen Morgan MP said the figures reveal “a long-term sickness epidemic” which is “hitting local councils across the country.”...