06/11/2011 The Politics Show North East and Cumbria

Almost a million days off work, is enough being done to tackle high

sickness levels among council staff in the region?

This factory gets 2 million from the regional growth fund but it is

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2220 seconds

enough to combat rising A warm welcome to your local part

of the programme. Coming up, the high price of sickness amongst

council staff. Can initiatives like this one in Newcastle get staff

back to work? I am in Cumbria at this factory which received money

from the regional growth fund. New figures obtained by the BBC

shows the north as one of the worst part of the country for council

staff taking sickly. Almost one million days were lost last week

with its head and Hartlepool have an highest levels. -- Gateshead.

Critics say illnesses caused by work-related stress arising as

local authority budgets get smaller. -- they are rising.

Meet Simon, his job is to make Newcastle council healthier. Some

of the initiatives we have is a gym membership which is reduced for all

members of the council, council staff. We do lots of other things,

we had health assessments for staff, we have seen 500 staff members,

blood pressure tests. Together those have reduced the sickness

Neville by a third over seven years saving �7 million. Debbie is a

customer service worker and was off work with back problems but a free

council physio sessions have got her back to work. I was bedridden

for up to four months, not through a serious back injury, back going

through spasms. You go through occupational health, the NHS said

as we have on site, they refer you to physiotherapy. The sessions with

physio worked wonders. There is still a big issue of Council

sickness levels across array region. Council workers took nearly one

million days off sick in 2010 until 2011. There are big variations

across the region. Darlington has the lowest figure. The in Newcastle

the figure is a 0.5 days. Carlisle, 9.2 days. Where would you find the

highest number? According to our survey it is Gateshead council,

where staff members take an average of 10 days' pay year off sick. Why

is the sickness rate so high you? The council says it has reduced

sickness rates but faces an ongoing problem, blocked off workers in

stressful jobs. A number of factors have been shown that there are wide

variety of roles undertaken by staff members, and also care

workers, some very street -- physically strenuous work. The rout

any real examples of employees on long-term sick and who wouldn't

rather be returned to work. At the Stockton engineering company they

just take an average of four days a year off sick so could this them

cope with Council sickness rates? He would be an unsustainable

position. We would have certainly a distinct impact with regard to our

service and supply situations by customers. We would certainly have

an impact directly through to the cost of our business. Not all those

sick council workers are suffering from cold -- cold and flu. Brian is

a teacher, spending long periods off work with illness and resigned

as a deputy head through stress. Now he is back in cash and that

things are just as bad. Basically I couldn't keep up with the demand of

the classroom and the management would was making me have sleepless

nights, panic attacks. There is an increasing number of initiatives,

and increasing amount of paperwork, expectations with regards what the

teacher should do. Teachers are working so hard and so long to try

and maintain the standards they are actually having the emotional

breakdowns. We know our councils of going through a punishing regime of

squeezed budgets and service cuts. It is exhausting and it seems some

of those staff have hit the wall. Are growing stress levels making

people ill or not? Is the fact the sickness rates are

higher than the private sector problem or not? It is undoubtedly a

problem. It means more people are getting sick, been ill, and also

because of the impact on services in the region. It is definitely a

problem but we need to be careful when we try to understand the

reasons for it. All the research I have seen such as sickness levels

are related to stress and distress that is part of the job, part of

the environmental stress. But also part of the management, the quality

of the management and that organisations. I was glad to see

what was happening in Newcastle in terms of getting to the gym, etc.

But we need to be looking at how people employed are having to react

to the stressful situations, piggish a management is better.

would it be more stressful to work in the public sector rather than

the private sector? In the public sector often

unfortunately you may have much less control over your job and much

less control over the targets, etc, which are imposed from above. Also

much less control over what you're going to lose your job in an

environment like urine now. Do you have any much more control? Were

new here 25% of all public sector is being cut you feel you have got

a lot let -- less control. You have been trying to get some of this

information through parliamentary questions, would you make of the

figures? He interesting to see what it is -- it is like a local

government level, the national one seemed to be lower so I am

wondering if there was an issue with a good government and how it

deals with the problems. It is a lot to do with leadership and

banishment within councils. You see that in the private sector,

interesting deceit your figures are substantially lower, and that is

down to good management and leadership. Hard Gates had right?

They are physically demanding and emotionally stressful so you would

expect a high sickness levels. row stressful jobs in the private

sector as well. I go back to my point it is down to management and

leadership to stop you see that in the private sector, they take

sickness seriously. You need to see Some people say they might feel

cosier in the public sector, less likely to be shown the door?

The fact that terms and conditions often in a public sector are better

than the private sector, maybe a small factor, but all the research

shows sickness levels of related to stress and they are related to the

quality of management. Even if you feel you can take a day off without

losing your job, if you are inspired by your boss, no you are

making a good contribution to your city or country, you get up and you

will go to work. Is that a lot more difficult for local authority

employees at a time when the budgets are going down and they are

saying they can't achieve what they want? That is absolutely true. That

is a big factor. It is about management and leadership. And we

have seen higher salaries in local government management over the last

few years and we need to see more leadership as well.

Would you accept the cuts are likely to make people more ill?

It is an interesting point you are saying there is cuts and they are

affecting the stress levels. There was a recession in the private

sector and they had to deal with that and you didn't seek an

increase in sickness. He would be an incentive for people to work

harder and make sure they are doing their best. Our local authority is

likely to feel less valued by Eric Pickles talking about them doing

none jobs? We have to make sure they do them

as efficiently as possible and maximise their efforts are we get

front line services preserve. One million days loft is a heck of a

lot. We need to make sure we've reduced that so we Secure front

line services. When I talk about management and

leadership I am talking about local government but also our government.

Pickles constant criticism of the public sector doesn't help. But

neither does it help when the Prime Minister and other top ministers

say if you're in the backroom for example of the police force you

should be losing your job or if you're in the back office of the

hospital service you are not as valued.

In the private sector they are always striving to get productivity

gains, make sure they perform as best as they can. We need to do

exactly the same in the public sector. That is where good

management, leadership, motivates the staff. We need to see that the

public sector as well as the private sector are.

You can buy that the sickness rate for your individual local council

on my block. -- blog. Cumbrian firms got some cash from the

regional development funds with three companies due to receive �10

million. With 1,500 public-sector jobs a month is appearing in the

region is the fund any more than a Pumping life back into the economy,

this factory in Carlisle has been given �2 million from the

Government's regional growth fund. It is welcome investment for a key

local employer. We are absolutely delighted to have

been granted this funding. Certainly there will be a positive

impact on jobs. We don't know at this point to what level it will be.

Certainly there will be more activity in the research and

development area. Hopefully that will have a ripple effect through

the business as new products are developed. The old regional

development agency invested nearly �100 million in Cumbria alone

between 2008 and this year. Since the regional development agencies

were abolished companies have battled for a share of the regional

growth fund. Companies in Cumbria won �10 million between them. With

so little money available many bids failed. Among them an attempt to

push Carlisle's Roman heritage and Hadrian Wall as a major tourist

attraction. -- Hadrian's Wall. are bitterly disappointed. Over two

years we would have provided 290 jobs and a further 300 indirect

jobs. We must invest in this industry. He doesn't need a huge

amount of investment. But the rewards of asked. The need for

private sector Dubs has never been greater and here's why. 150 posts

are being lost here and that is a fraction of the jobs going across

the public sector. Welcome as the Investment his critics believe the

regional growth fund isn't big enough to plug the gap. You can't

possibly make it effective. It is a drop in the ocean of what we need.

The government needs to rethink its strategy. Not that I suspect it

will, but I would like to rethink his strategy and listen to the

advice that if it isn't working, have a Plan B. Lots of pain but no

again. Some companies will -- were not

even able to apply. This factory employs 80 people. Business is

brisk but there is frustration at the lack of government help build

up it doesn't feel good. It seems always go to big companies. There

are a lot of Labour were involved and the big companies have got a

team to put it together and able to apply for the funding and it tends

to go that way. There will be no more chances to

apply for the fund. It has all the handed out. Growing businesses like

this one will be watching keenly to see how this companies lucky enough

to win grants will spend up stop If you compare it to the money

spent by the Regional Development Agency in Cumbria it is peanuts.

You have got to remember the backdrop we have. The debt we have.

There is not the money there once was. A 10th as much money going in.

Surely you have made 90% cuts? were borrowing 150 billion a year,

which was unsustainable, could go on. I welcome the contribution that

is being made to the local economy. A delighted that is happening.

Across the North West 200 bridges 7 million, it will Secure 8,000 full-

time jobs and probably another 40,000 indirect jobs. There is

growth going into the economy. I do accept it is not as good as we

would like. You are seeing other private sector jobs being created

for example in Carlisle Debenhams is introducing new jobs, so private

sector jobs are being created out with any government support. What

is missing his we saw that project that could have created hundreds of

millions of jobs, cut spending, yet the money isn't there fallen to do

it. It's no because under the last government they spend far too much.

We had at school. �150 billion per year, we couldn't afford to keep

going as we were all we would end up like Greece, that is the problem.

This government is having to try and read by the problems are for

the last government stock if you look at the North East, even with

limited resources. 40% grants went to the North East. Does the

government put his money where its mouth is? It is fantastic, it is

great some companies have got the promise of some money, but let's

remember only two of the first drag or regional growth funds got any

money. There are many more uses than winners. It is still only one

third of what was available through the Regional Development Agency.

This government has cut manufacturing capital allowances

which are key to manufacturing which is where you want to see

growth in the economy. Some would say that is the legacy of your

government spending too much. method of mum was spending as much

or in the same area as Greece is something that the Conservatives

are always trying to run with and has finally been put to bed by

looking at the fact we had one of the lowest levels of before we went

into the financial crisis. What is important here is to remember

before we hit the financial crisis we have one of the lowest levels of

deficit. What is the alternative? What we need to do is grow. If you

could grow you will have more... How do you do that? Cut VAT to 5%

for construction. And a construction markets across the

region who would love that because that would mean he would have the

jobs they are not getting now. And for example you increase the tax,

the bank is bonus which could create 100,000 jobs for young

people. Hour and a brim of a young people is really going on. -- hour

unemployment. We are losing jobs so fast that is welcome as these are

they are not enough to turn the tide? You have got to get the

private sector going. I disagree with usenet jobs are going and they

are not being replaced. The Carlisle economy is doing really

well. Unemployment is rising. have to make sure the private

sector succeeds. One of the things the government has managed to

achieve by keeping the deficit down and getting up a production is to

keep interest rates low. There was no sign that is working.

economy grew by 0.5% of stock that demonstrates there is growth. The

his difficulties in the euro-zone. Difficulties in America. That makes

it more difficult. You can't get away from the fact she cannot

borrow your way out of a problem. As the government miscalculated?

They decided this was it in terms of regional growth and there will

not be any more money. They made that decision before the eurozone

crisis stop they assumed we would be growing much faster than we are

now. Had they not been the crisis, had America resolved his problems,

conditions would have been far better. You have to wait and see

what the Chancellor does in the Autumn Statement. He may do

something for the regional growth fund. Should they be a third round?

I would like to see it. It has been targeted at the rise of the

companies, manufacturing, engineering, that is where we have

got to have growth, rebalance the economy. One of the problems under

the last government was they neglected manufacturing. This

government is not doing that. We want to see manufacturing growth as

the Briton make things again. are suffering now. The last

government put money into infrastructure and for a simple

manufacturing capital allowances. PowerGen can say this government is

supporting manufacturing when it has cut manufacturing capital

allowances which other thing which enables even more so than interest

rates, which enables many factors to invest in the new plant and

equipment and start growing the companies which is what we need.

They have cut that and they have also... They are addressing skills

agenda which you neglected. Creating new jobs for technicians

and things like that with apprenticeships. They were saved

under Labour. They were going down continuously. We started them going

up. We increased them hugely. will have to leave it there, thank

you very much. That is about it. We are back next