Councils urged to 'get a grip' on rising sick leave amid concerns about costs to ratepayers
Northern Ireland’s councils have been told to “get a grip” on rising sick leave amongst staff – with absences averaging 17 days per employee across Northern Ireland, according to a report from the Audit Office.
Rates are “notably higher” than in central government – and have been rising annually since Covid, the Local Government Auditor revealed this week.
The DUP says ratepayers want to see their money spent “efficiently and effectively” – and councils need to “put a determined focus” on tackling the lost productivity.
The TUV says councillors and senior management “can no longer look the other way” – urging councils to “get a grip on workforce management”.
In her report, outgoing auditor Collette Kane said overall absence levels have continued to rise in 2023-24, expressing “concern that there is a continuing pattern” of local government sick leave being higher than in central government.
Before the Covid pandemic, the average number of days lost per employee to sickness absence was 9 per cent higher in local government than in central government.
Over the last three years, the figure has risen – with the gap widening to 24 per cent in the most recent figures for 2023-24, where an average of 17.1 days absence per council staff member was reported.
South Down DUP MLA Diane Forsythe said: “Local councils are responsible for spending significant amounts of public money. Ratepayers want to see this used efficiently and effectively.
“It is notable that the Auditor General has raised concerns about the continuing pattern of staff sickness levels, and particularly that levels in local government are 9% higher than central government.
“We have previously raised concerns about the level of absence in some parts of central government and that sickness leave is not simply viewed as days off with some sort of ‘allocation’ to be taken each year.
“It is concerning that the disparity between local and central government is now greater than it was before the Covid pandemic. Councils need to put a determined focus on this area and tackle this lost productivity which ultimately comes at a cost to the ratepayer.”
Traditional Unionist Voice Cusher Councillor Keith Ratcliffe said the findings will come as a shock to hard-pressed ratepayers.
Mr Ratcliffe, who sits on Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, told the News Letter: “Staff costs in our councils already account for almost half of all expenditure, yet sickness absence is now running at an extraordinary 17 days per employee. No business in the private sector could operate on that basis, and neither should local government.
“What is even more alarming is that sickness levels in local government are now 24 per cent higher than in central government. There is simply no justification for such a gap. It points to serious failures in management and a culture where performance and accountability are treated as optional.
“When the Local Government Auditor is warning of a deteriorating picture, councillors and senior management can no longer look the other way. Ratepayers are being asked to pay more every year for services that are in many areas declining. They are entitled to expect councils to get a grip on workforce management, tackle excessive absence and ensure that public money is not being squandered.
“For too long, local government — like Stormont — has operated without the kind of scrutiny and consequences that drive improvement. These figures underline the need for fundamental change. The TUV will continue to challenge this wasteful culture and stand up for the ratepayer, who is being failed yet again by a system lacking in leadership, discipline and accountability.”
Staff absence varies significantly across councils, with the lowest rate of 13.6 in Antrim and Newtownabbey – and the highest in Newry, Mourne and Down, which has average absence at 23.9 days.
The largest rise in absences occurred in Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, closely followed by Derry City and Strabane. The only councils where the figure fell between 2022/23 and 2023/24 were Antrim and Newtownabbey (-4.1); Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (-1.1); Belfast (-0.1) and Mid and East Antrim (-0.9).
The Audit Office report emphasised “the importance of closely monitoring and actively managing sickness absence levels to achieve improved operational efficiency and reduce the considerable productivity losses”.
The Local Government Auditor’s Report was Colette Kane’s fourth and final report, ahead of her retirement at the end of this year.