BLACKBURN with Darwen Council spends between £8,000-£10,000 per week on average on agency staff, councillors heard.

HR director David Fairclough told members of the policy and resources overview and scrutiny committee the majority of agency staff were used in key areas like social work.

Committee members also heard sickness levels were decreasing, with an average of 9.24 days lost for 2017/18, compared with 9.37 in 2016/17.

The borough loses more days than most East Lancs borough councils per year but Mr Fairclough said that was to be expected because district councils like Hyndburn and Burnley do not deal with highways or education, where sickness levels are generally higher.

He said: "Adult and children's services figures are higher than other departments. Not all sickness is covered by agency staff - that tends to be in social care and you will get some in leisure as well.

"The cost varies and depends on the needs of the business."

Total reported absences across all departments hit 1,833 in 2016/17 compared to 1,794 last year.

The main reason given for sickness was stomach problems, followed by eye, ear, nose or dental complaints.

Musculoskeletal issues were the third most common reason for absence, followed by stress and depression.

Chest and respiratory conditions were the fifth most common cause of sickness.

Members were told the council has an attendance policy and action plans were put in place to deal with employee absences dependant on the circumstances.

Mr Fairclough added: "Generally, the picture shows that long-term absences [of over four weeks] are going down and short term absences are increasing but that is not consistent between different departments."