
Redcar and Cleveland Council sick days costing millions
The financial losses were revealed in a report to members of the council's resources scrutiny committee, which added the days lost per full-time equivalent had recently dropped slightly.In the 12 months to February the figure was 8.8 days, while the council's current, shifting target is 8.5 days lost per full-time equivalent member of staff.The report said: "The trajectory of sickness absence steadily increased from 2015/16, with the exception of 2020/21 when staff were shielding - the trajectory then steepened post-Covid."The top three reasons for sickness were given as stress, depression, anxiety and fatigue, along with hospital procedures, time-off required post-op, and chest and respiratory issues.
Below other councils
In the 12 months to February, 78% of council staff were off between one and 20 days, with 22% deemed to be long-term absent having taken more than three weeks.Over the past year, just under 140 staff were off ill from a workforce of approximately 2,200.The council committee report, said last year's peak of 9.66 days was in fact below two other neighbouring councils – Stockton (10.8 days) and Hartlepool (10.31 days).The report said the council was working to bring down the figures, with a new managing health, attendance and wellbeing policy agreed last year and training provided for all managers.It added staff also had access to occupational health, physiotherapy and counselling services.In 2023, a report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development showed the average rate of employee absence across the UK was 7.8 days per employee per year, which was even higher in the public sector at 10.6 days.
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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Now Rachel Reeves is urged to slap VAT on private healthcare as ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock sets out plans to raise billions more for the NHS
Rachel Reeves is being urged to charge VAT on private healthcare in order to raise billions of pounds more for the NHS. Lord Neil Kinnock, the former Labour leader, has called on the Chancellor to remove the VAT exemption on private healthcare at her autumn Budget. The Labour peer - who also recently told Ms Reeves to introduce a 'wealth tax' - claimed this would 'generate much–needed revenue' for the NHS and would be 'widely supported' by the British public. The Government's recent U–turns on welfare reform and winter fuel payments have left Ms Reeves with a multibillion–pound black hole to fill in the nation's finances. This has fuelled expectations she will opt for further tax rises in the autumn. Ms Reeves has insisted she will stick to Labour's manifesto commitment not to hike taxes for 'working people'. Prior to last year's general election, the party said this involved not raising 'National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT'. But Labour could see removing the VAT exemption on private healthcare as a loophole to get around their manifesto pledges. After winning power in July 2024, Labour moved swiftly to charge 20 per cent VAT on private school fees. Analysis by the Good Growth Foundation found that charging 20 per cent VAT to private acute healthcare – but excluding the use of private hospitals by the NHS – could raise more than £2billion. The think tank, which has close links to Labour, also conducted polling that found support for greater taxation on public healthcare in order to help fund the NHS. A survey of more than 2,000 adults, conducted in June, showed that more than half (55 per cent) supported a windfall tax on private healthcare firms. Lord Kinnock said: 'Introducing VAT on private health provision could provide vital funding for the NHS and social care. 'After 14 years of underinvestment, many people are turning to private healthcare not out of choice, but because they cannot afford to wait. 'This has increasingly led to unequal access to care. Ending the VAT exemption to generate much–needed revenue is a reasonable and widely–supported step.' Praful Nargund, director of the Good Growth Foundation and a Labour parliamentary candidate at last year's general election,said: 'We have sleepwalked into a two tier-healthcare system, and we have to back the NHS. 'It is in a dire state: from 8am GP scrambles to months-long waiting lists. It's simply not good enough. 'People are being forced to go private for care they should get for free. That's not a system in need of tweaks, that's a system on the brink and in need of major reform. 'A windfall tax on private healthcare would be a bold, fair first step to fund an NHS the British public deserve.' Last month, Lord Kinnock - who led Labour between 1983 and 1992 - outlined his plans for a 'wealth tax' on Britons. He said a two per cent levy on assets worth more than £10million would raise up to £11billion a year and be popular with a 'great majority of the general public'. The Tories condemned such a tax as 'the worst thing to do' as they warned of a fresh exodus of wealth-creators from Britain.


Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Rachel Reeves must slap VAT on private healthcare, warns ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock
Ex-Labour leader Lord Neil Kinnock said Rachel Reeves should remove the VAT exemption on private healthcare in the same way she did with private schools in this autumn's Budget Rachel Reeves should slap VAT on private healthcare to raise billions for the NHS, ex-Labour leader Lord Neil Kinnock has said. The prominent politician said Rachel Reeves should remove the VAT exemption in the same way she did with private schools in this autumn's Budget. He said the move would raise 'vital funding' for public services and be 'widely supported' by the public. It comes as . The Chancellor is battling to plug a hole in the public finances following recent Government U-turns on cuts to disability benefits and the winter fuel allowance. Labour is constrained by how it can raise money after pledging in the election not to hike income tax, national insurance or VAT. But removing a VAT exemption on private healthcare could provide an opportunity for Ms Reeves to raise cash without breaking her election promise. Lord Kinnock told the i newspaper: 'Introducing VAT on private health provision could provide vital funding for the NHS and social care. 'After 14 years of underinvestment, many people are turning to private healthcare not out of choice, but because they cannot afford to wait. This has increasingly led to unequal access to care. Ending the VAT exemption to generate much-needed revenue is a reasonable and widely supported step.' Analysis by the Good Growth Foundation (GGF) think tank, which supports the policy, found more than £2billion could be raised by applying 20% VAT to private acute healthcare. This would excluding putting VAT on the use of private hospitals. Private acute healthcare covers short-term care and treatment for illnesses or injuries but does not include things like optician and dental appointments. The GGF said the area of care was worth £12.4bn in 2024. Some 55% of Brits support a 'windfall tax' on private healthcare firms, with 17% against it, according to a poll of 2,054 adults by the think tank in June. Praful Nargund, GGF's founder, said: 'We are sleepwalking into a two-tier healthcare system, and we have to back our NHS. 'The NHS is in a dire state: from 8am GP scrambles to months-long waits for cancer care, this is simply not good enough. People are being forced to go private for care they should get for free. 'That's not a system in need of tweaks – it's a system on the brink, in need of major reform. A windfall tax on private healthcare would be a bold, fair first step to fund the innovation and change we need in the NHS.' During the election, Labour pledged to scrap the VAT exemption enjoyed by private schools to pay for 6,500 new teachers for state schools. From January this year, all private education and boarding services became subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%. The Department for Education says ending tax breaks on private schools will help raise around £1.8billion per year by the 2029/30 financial year. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has faced fury over the policy from right-wing parties. Critics claim it will put pressure on state schools as they will have to accept kids from families who can no longer afford private schools, if their provider chooses to hike fees to pay for the VAT uplift. In December, Ms Phillipson said she had received abuse over the policy but added: 'I'll wear that as a badge of honour if it means that we drive up standards in state schools and invest in better life chances for our children.'


Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Lord Kinnock urges Rachel Reeves to launch a VAT raid
Lord Kinnock has urged Rachel Reeves to launch a VAT raid on private healthcare. The former Labour leader said the move would give the NHS 'vital funding' as it looks to slash waiting lists. It is estimated that removing the VAT exemption for private healthcare firms would raise £2 billion – if work the private sector does for the health service is exempt. The Chancellor is looking to fill a black hole of up to £30 billion in her autumn budget as economic growth remains sluggish and recent u-turns on welfare reform and winter fuel need to be paid for. Labour promised in its manifesto not to raise the headline rate of income tax, national insurance or VAT, but has applied VAT to private school fees. The party has already been accused of breaking the pledge by hiking employers' national insurance in the last budget, but a raid on private healthcare could get the Chancellor around the commitment by not raising the headline rate. Lord Kinnock, who lost two general elections for his party, told the i newspaper: 'Introducing VAT on private health provision could provide vital funding for the NHS and social care. 'After 14 years of underinvestment, many people are turning to private healthcare not out of choice, but because they cannot afford to wait. This has increasingly led to unequal access to care. 'Ending the VAT exemption to generate much-needed revenue is a reasonable and widely supported step.' The former Labour leader's comments come after he used an interview with Sky News last month to back a wealth tax, which led to weeks of speculation over whether such a policy would be implemented. The Chancellor appeared to shut down the speculation last week by saying Labour had already 'got the balance right' on wealth taxes after it increased capital gains tax and abolished non-dom status. It is feared any tax raid on private healthcare would lead to longer NHS waiting lists by making it more expensive for people to skip the queue by going private. Such an effect would echo that of the VAT raid on private schools, which has led or will lead to the closure of 44 schools according to Telegraph analysis. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, has previously said Labour will use the private sector for 'as long as it takes' to get waiting lists down. Data from private healthcare analyst LaingBuisson suggested 4.68 million people now have private medical insurance, the highest proportion since 2008. The raid on private healthcare was backed by the Good Growth Foundation think tank, which was founded by former Labour candidate Praful Nargund. It said private health companies had enjoyed bumper profits as people have turned to them to avoid a lengthy NHS wait, meaning any raid would amount to a windfall tax. Polling of more than 2,000 people for the think tank found 55 per cent of the public backed the raid, with just 17 per cent against the move. Mr Nargund, who stood unsuccessfully for Labour against Jeremy Corbyn at last year's general election, said: 'We are sleepwalking into a two-tier healthcare system, and we have to back our NHS. 'The NHS is in a dire state: from 8am GP scrambles to months-long waits for cancer care, this is simply not good enough. People are being forced to go private for care they should get for free. 'That's not a system in need of tweaks – it's a system on the brink, in need of major reform. A windfall tax on private healthcare would be a bold, fair first step to fund the innovation and change we need in the NHS.' A spokesperson for the Independent Healthcare Providers Network told the i newspaper: 'With record demand for both NHS and privately funded treatment, along with increasing numbers of employers providing medical insurance to keep their staff healthy, we would strongly warn against any changes to the tax system which may dis-incentivise people from accessing the healthcare that they need to live full and productive lives.' A Government spokesperson told the newspaper: 'Thanks to this Government's record investment, reforms and the hard work of NHS staff, we've cut the waiting list by over 260,000 since July 2024, which also fell for the first time in 17 years in April and May outside of the pandemic. On top of this, we have also delivered 4.6 million appointments – more than double the two million we promised.'