Northern Ireland Councils Face Absence Crisis | Belfast News

Northern Ireland’s councils are under fire for soaring sickness absence—averaging 16.8 days per employee, way above the 13.4 days in the Civil Service—with some areas like Newry, Mourne and Down hitting over 21 days. The gap has widened from 9% to 25% since pre-pandemic levels, prompting the Local Government Auditor to demand tighter management and shared best practices to boost efficiency and protect ratepayers’ money. Meanwhile, a silver lining: councils are financially healthier than ever, with reserves at £566 million and income outpacing spending for two years running—but the auditor warns clear plans are needed to ensure those funds deliver real results. Sickness absence and planning delays remain key hurdles, but collaboration between councils offers hope for improvement. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/9ad57f4ceed87de1