Buckinghamshire Council sickness costs £378,000 monthly

Summarised from Bucks Free Press's report · Updated 13 Oct, 06:03 · Archive

Buckinghamshire Council staff sickness costs £378,000 a month, with absence levels at 8.23 days per employee in August.

Staff sickness at Buckinghamshire Council reached a rolling annual average of 8.23 days per full-time equivalent employee in August, costing the authority £378,000 a month. This represented 2.44 per cent of the council's total workforce costs. Although the figure remained below the council's target of 8.5 days, it marked an increase after absence levels stayed below eight days between December 2025 and June 2026.

Councillors at a finance and resources select committee meeting questioned the financial impact, with the committee chairman noting the monthly cost amounted to roughly £4.5 million annually. A council report suggested excessive summer heat partly contributed to the recent rise. Adult social care experienced a particular setback, with sickness absence increasing by 1.97 days after earlier improvements, prompting a targeted improvement plan to strengthen managers' handling of absence cases.

Read the report

• Revealed: Buckinghamshire Council staff sickness costs £378,000 a month amid scrutinyBuckinghamshire Council staff sickness costs £378,000 a month, councillors were told, as summer absences rose but remained below the council’s target..Bucks Free Press · 13 Oct, 05:00

In this story: Buckinghamshire Council

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