Somerset Council lost 41,822 working days to staff sickness in the latest year covered by its figures, equivalent to 10.04 days for every full-time equivalent employee. The figures were raised when the council's executive met in Taunton on Wednesday, 2 September.

Councillor Diogo Rodrigues, leader of the opposition Conservative group, questioned why absence was running at that level and called for action to reduce the impact on council services. He said the associated employment cost was £6.3 million and argued that staff absences reduced the council's capacity to deal with work including education, health and care plans, care assessments and planning applications.

Mr Rodrigues, who represents Bridgwater East and Bawdrip, compared the council figure with Office for National Statistics data showing an average of 4.4 sickness days lost per UK worker during 2025. The ONS figures cover the whole UK workforce rather than local government specifically, and also show that public-sector workers were among the groups with higher sickness absence rates in 2025.

He told the meeting: "Cut sickness absence by just a quarter and we would recover more than 10,000 working days every year.

"Why is sickness absence so high, what does the executive believe is causing it, and what urgent action will it take to get sickness down and get Somerset working again?"

Councillor Theo Butt Philip, Somerset Council's portfolio holder for transformation, human resources and localities, said stress, anxiety and psychological ill health were the largest causes of sickness absence at the authority. Together, he said, they accounted for around a quarter of the total.

Mr Butt Philip, who represents Wells, said the council's figure remained below a separate public-sector benchmark reported by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Its 2025 Health and Wellbeing at Work report recorded an average of 13.3 days lost per employee in public services, although the CIPD cautioned that the figure was based on a relatively small sample.

He said: "Every day lost to sickness has an impact, meaning that the same amount of work still needs to be done but by fewer people.

"We are committed to improving the health and well-being of our staff, with the obvious benefits that will bring to them, to the council and to the people and communities of Somerset."

Mr Butt Philip said the council's analysis showed stress, anxiety and psychological ill health were responsible for the largest share of absence, reflecting what he described as a wider national pattern. The CIPD's research also identifies psychological ill health, including poor mental health and stress, as a leading cause of long-term workplace absence.

He said causes differed between council services and workforce data was being used to identify areas where more targeted support was needed.

The council is now strengthening its sickness absence management policy and providing additional training and support for managers. Mr Butt Philip said work also included enhanced stress risk assessments, wellbeing support and targeted measures in services recording the highest levels of sickness and stress-related absence.

"Our focus is, as it should be, on earlier intervention, consistent management and effective employee support," he said.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Rodrigues said his criticism was directed at the council's ability to maintain services rather than at employees who took time off because they were ill.

He said: "They deserve to work for an organisation that looks after them, supports them and doesn't leave them carrying unsustainable pressures.

"But there is also a responsibility to Somerset residents. When more than 41,000 working days are lost in a year, that inevitably affects the council's capacity to deliver."

Mr Butt Philip said the council would continue monitoring absence levels and use workforce data to target measures aimed at reducing avoidable sickness and supporting employees.

Original reporting: LDRS/Daniel Mumby

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