STAFF absences at Barnsley Council equated to more than 66 years of missed work over the last 12 months, a report has revealed.

Local councillors discussed the employee sickness and absence report at a meeting this week.

Over the latest 12-month period, a total of 24,187 days were missed by council staff.

It’s a 31 per cent drop on the previous year’s figure when 35,366 days were missed by staff.

Similarly to 2022/23, the main reason for staff absence was mental health - including stress, anxiety and depression.

These absences amounted to 10,690 days - almost 30 years - though it is a decrease on the 15,506 days missed the previous year.

The second highest reason for absence was musculoskeletal issues which amounted to 2,249 days.

There has been a steady drop in the number of Covid-19 infections at the council - with 778 days missed from a total of 12 employees.

Barnsley’s sickness rate is much better than the rest of the neighbouring local authorities - with Sheffield’s figure almost double.

A report states: “Our sickness rate has improved in 2023/24 which is not the case in many of the other authorities.

“Public sector sickness is generally higher than in the private sector.

“This has been the case since 1995.

“We value our employees and want to demonstrate that we are committed to supporting them to lead healthy and fulfilling lives both inside and outside of work.

“We have a group of trained mental health first aiders - 31 in total - in the workplace.

“The take-up of this support offer has been lower than expected.

“This may be due to many people undertaking hybrid working as part of their working week.

“Our public health services help promote the roles and the support that they can provide.”

The council’s aim is for every employee to miss just 8.5 days each year due to sickness - a target they hit last year.

The report added: “Our performance target for 2023/24 was an average of no more than 8.5 days of sickness absence per employee, per year.

“The average total days lost per employee was 8.43.

“This is a reduction of 2.66 days from the average 11.09 days lost per employee from 2022/23, which had been the council’s highest recorded level of sickness absence.

“This figure includes absence due to mental health (stress and anxiety) and musculoskeletal, which were the two main reasons for absence in 2023/24.”

Coun Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for core services, said that the council are working to support staff who need help.

He added: “The total number of days of absence reduced by more than 31 per cent in the last financial year which is encouraging news.

“We’re a large organisation of more than 3,500 employees.

“If you are comparing the amount of staff absence in years, it’s worth noting that the 66 years figure compares to more than 1,800 years total time that our staff work during a normal year.

“Our rate is the lowest of the South Yorkshire Councils and among the lowest in the region.

“Although sickness absence across a group that large is to be expected, we’re delighted that our attendance is now back at typical levels after being higher during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Absence due to mental health issues is one of the main causes of absence for UK employers, and it’s a trend we’re continuing to see in Barnsley.

“Mental health issues including stress, anxiety, and depression remain the most common reason for absence.

“However, it’s encouraging that absences of this type have also decreased by the same significant 31 per cent margin.

“We’re working hard to create an open and supportive culture where our employees feel comfortable seeking help and support so that they can return to work quickly.

“We offer a range of support services, including counselling, advice and training, Mental Health First Aiders, and a 24/7 free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme for all employees and their immediate families.

“We do our best to make sure that residents don’t see any difference in the services we provide, and like any large organisation, we plan for absence and annual leave to make sure that we can deliver services to our residents.”