- By Chas Geiger
- Politics reporter
Image supply, Getty Images
Nearly 10,000 council staff in England are stuck on long-term sick depart with the quantity rising by a fifth since 2019, the Liberal Democrats say.
Figures obtained by the social gathering counsel six in 10 councils have seen an increase in their numbers of long-term sick.
The Lib Dems say the federal government wants to chop NHS ready lists urgently so folks can return to work quicker.
Last week, Rishi Sunak outlined plans to deal with a “sick note culture”, together with making it tougher to get one.
The prime minister mentioned he needed to strip GPs of their energy to signal folks off work, arguing that claiming advantages had change into a “lifestyle choice” for some.
The authorities mentioned its “£2.5bn Back to Work Plan will help over a million people, including those with long-term health conditions, to break down barriers to work”.
To get folks off long-term sick depart the federal government is “providing the NHS with record funding of nearly £165bn a year by the end of this Parliament”, a spokesperson added.
Labour mentioned the federal government had run out of concepts, whereas charity Scope described his plans as “a full-on assault on disabled people” pushed by slicing prices.
Elections are going down for 107 native councils throughout England on 2 May.
The Lib Dems despatched freedom of data (FOI) requests to all 317 councils in England, with 185 offering responses.
For 58% of the native authorities which responded to the FOI requests, extra staff had been off work due to long-term illness than in 2019. Ninety-eight of the 185 councils had extra folks off because of this than in 2023.
Only 4 councils had no staff on long-term sick depart: West Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Rushmoor and Copeland.
According to the Lib Dems, all sectors of the financial system, together with personal sector firms and the NHS itself, have staff on sick depart as a result of employees are ready to get the well being care they want.
The social gathering has beforehand mentioned that nearly 12,000 key employees throughout the UK, together with nurses, law enforcement officials and firefighters, had been stuck on long-term sick depart.
Local authorities spokesperson Helen Morgan mentioned the prime minister was blaming staff who had been sick, whereas neglecting the NHS.
“These figures reveal a long-term sickness epidemic hitting local councils across the country,” she mentioned.
“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.”
The Conservatives have been approached for remark.
