Key Points
- Sickness Figures Questioned: The Bolton Council has formally refuted figures provided by Taxpayers' Alliance (TPA) that employees reportedly took 18.4 sick days on average during 2024–2025.
- Sickness Cost and Agency Impact: Internal data indicate that staff sickness cost the council £6,432,888 last year (16.19% increase), whereas agency costs amounted to £15,806,353, resulting in total workforce disruption costs exceeding £22.2 million.
- Union Stands Up for Sick Pay: Bolton Branch of UNISON has strongly dismissed the calls made by local councillors to reduce or abolish employee sick pay, as these would endanger the well-being and safety of workers.
- Underlying Causes Determined: Council officers and union representatives have cited an ageing workforce, NHS treatment delays, musculoskeletal disorders, and high mental health stress due to understaffing as underlying causes of staff absenteeism.
- Action Plan: Bolton Council is tackling specialized recruitment and agency challenges through apprenticeships, graduate recruitment, and community recruitment efforts.
Bolton (Bolton Today) September 1, 2026 – Bolton Council has formally disputed recent figures claiming it registered the highest average employee sickness absence rate in the North West, sparking an intense row involving senior politicians, council officers, and trade union officials.
The controversy follows a report published by the
Alliance (TPA), which alleged that Bolton Council recorded an average of 18.4 sick days per full-time equivalent worker during the 2024 to 2025 financial year. Based on Freedom of Information responses from 277 local authorities across the UK, the TPA estimated that council sickness absences cost local authorities nationwide £667 million over the same period. The TPA figures placed the North West regional average at 10.8 days, with Liverpool reporting the region's lowest figure at 1.2 days.
However, as reported by Joe Regent of The Bolton News, Bolton Council does not recognize the 18.4-day figure as an accurate representation of its internal human resources records. Municipal sources noted that cross-council comparisons must be treated cautiously due to the absence of a standardized, uniform recording system across UK local government.
Despite the statistical disagreement, financial figures confirm growing structural pressures on municipal budgets. As reported by Joe Regent of The Bolton News, official council records reveal staff sickness costs reached £6,432,888 last year—a 16.19% increase of £896,056 over the previous year. Furthermore, reliance on agency workers added £15,806,353, elevating the local authority's combined annual bill for sickness and temporary cover past £22.2 million.
Why are local politicians clashing over council staff sickness rates?
The figures have triggered intense debate inside the town hall regarding workforce management and fiscal responsibility. As reported by Joe Regent of The Bolton News, Councillor Martyn Cox, Conservative elected member for Heaton, Lostock and Chew Moor, raised concerns over the operational and financial impact on council taxpayers and remaining employees.
As reported by Joe Regent of The Bolton News, Councillor Martyn Cox stated:
"It's unfair on council taxpayers, but it's also unfair on their fellow workers who want this controlling. They generally suffer first because they're the ones that have to pick up the extra workload."
The debate broadened following a recent Corporate Scrutiny meeting, where local politicians evaluated structural options to resolve lingering recruitment deficits and elevated absence levels. As reported by Joe Regent of The Bolton News, Reform UK Councillor Ryan Bailey and Conservative Group Leader Councillor Nadim Muslim suggested evaluating adjustments to staff terms and conditions—including the potential reduction or removal of contractual sick pay provisions.
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How has UNISON responded to proposed cuts to employee benefits?
The proposal to alter sick pay terms drew swift condemnation from UNISON, the UK’s largest trade union, which represents a significant portion of the council workforce.
As reported by Joe Regent of The Bolton News, Christine Collins, joint branch secretary of Bolton UNISON, strongly condemned any efforts to erode hard-won employment conditions:
"Workers are carrying the load of four or five roles, while many wait months or years on NHS lists for treatment. Removing sick pay from an ageing workforce already under immense pressure is not good practice, it is dangerous, counterproductive, and fundamentally unfair."
Ms Collins, alongside joint branch secretary Joanne Pickersgill, stressed that current staff absences stem from systemic funding shortfalls rather than employee misconduct.
As reported by Joe Regent of The Bolton News, Christine Collins further emphasized:
"Our members' rights were won through decades of collective bargaining and industrial struggle. They are not the cause of the recruitment crisis, nor the barrier to solving it. Where misuse of policy occurs, councils already have clear procedures to address it.
The answer is proper funding, safe staffing, and respect for the workforce, not stripping away protections relied upon by the vast majority who use them appropriately. We will oppose any attempt to erode sick pay or other contractual rights, and we will continue to defend every element of our members' terms and conditions."
What factors are driving long-term sickness and agency expenditure?
Addressing the operational context behind the numbers, local authority officials clarified that long-term absences are concentrated within specific, complex medical cases rather than widespread short-term absenteeism. Council documentation highlights mental health issues, occupational stress, musculoskeletal conditions, an aging demographic, and extended NHS treatment backlogs as primary drivers.
Regarding the £15.8 million spent on agency cover, a spokesperson for Bolton Council outlined the national pressures affecting local government recruitment.
As reported by Joe Regent of The Bolton News, a spokesperson for Bolton Council stated:
“Much of our agency spend relates to recruitment challenges in certain specialist roles in areas like planning, legal services and social care. This is a challenge facing councils across the UK as local authorities recruit from a limited pool of qualified candidates while also competing against higher wages in the private sector.”
The municipal spokesperson added:
“Agency staff are also used at times of higher demand, which allows us to respond quickly and ensure vital frontline services can continue. Another significant amount of agency staff are used as sickness cover due to musculoskeletal conditions, largely linked to an ageing workforce.”
What measures is Bolton Council taking to solve the workforce crisis?
To decrease reliance on costly temporary agencies and promote long-term staffing stability, Bolton Council has introduced structured recruitment and retention frameworks.
As reported by Joe Regent of The Bolton News, the local authority spokesperson confirmed:
“Steps taken to address this include new or upcoming apprentice, graduate recruitment, and work experience programmes. We have also held recruitment events in local communities, engaging with residents directly and offering initiatives including on-the-day interviews.”
By combining internal support mechanisms with local entry routes into public service, the council aims to manage workplace strain, stabilize overall agency expenditure, and maintain public service output while disputes over attendance metrics and contractual protections continue.