Council workforce sickness absence
Case reference FOI2025/00740
Received 18 August 2025
Published 15 September 2025
Request
This is a freedom of information request regarding sickness absence in your council workforce.
I am looking for information for 2024-25, 2023-24 and 2022-23.
Please provide me with:
1. The total number of sickness days for each year.
2. The total number of long term sickness days for each year.
3. The average number of sickness days per full time equivalent employee for each year.
4. The total cost of sickness days for each year.
5. The total cost of long term sickness days for each year.
6. The number of employees on long term sickness at any point in each year.
2024-25 2023-24 2022-23
Total number of sickness days
Total number of long term sickness days
Average number of sickness days per full time equivalent employee Total cost of sickness days
Total cost of long term sickness days
Number of employees on long term sickness at any point in the year
7. A breakdown of sickness days by reason for each year.
For example: mental ill-health, musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, etc. I understand that your council may categorise reasons differently, please use whichever ones your HR system collects.
Reason
Number of sickness days for 2024-25 2023-24 2022-23
Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3 Etc.
8. A breakdown of sickness days by department for each year, for example: communications, legal, finance, planning, adult social care, etc. I understand that your council may be organised differently, please use whichever categories your HR system uses.
Please provide me with the percentage of employees on long term sickness, the average number of sickness days per full time equivalent employee and the percentage of working days lost due to mental health sickness days.
Department 2024-25
Percentage of employees on long term sickness
Average number of sickness days per full time equivalent employee Percentage of working days lost due to mental health sickness days Department 1
Department 2
Department 3 Etc.
Department
2023-24
Percentage of employees on long term sickness
Average number of sickness days per full time equivalent employee Percentage of working days lost due to mental health sickness days Department 1 Department 2 Department 3 Etc.
Department 2022-23
Percentage of employees on long term sickness
Average number of sickness days per full time equivalent employee Percentage of working days lost due to mental health sickness days Department 1 Department 2 Department 3 Etc.
If data is not available for any particular category, please provide the closest equivalent data.
Response
Please see attached spreadsheet.
Documents
This is Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.