Staff sickness at Havering Council has hit "unsustainable" levels and is costing taxpayers £5million per year amid a deepening budget crisis, opposition councillors have warned.
More than half of council workers took sick leave last year, with a worrying 27 per cent citing stress, anxiety and other mental health issues.
The bill has rocketed from £2.9m in 2022/23, piling pressure on the cash-strapped council as it battles to fill a £32.5m budget black hole.
Opposition health spokesman Jason Frost warned: "Levels of sickness among council staff are high, as are those reporting stress, anxiety, and mental health as the primary cause of their absence.
"This is just not sustainable. Neither from a service delivery perspective, nor from a financial one.
"Council staff are the lifeblood of the organisation. Without them, the many vital services that residents rely on simply will not function."
The crisis has deepened as more workers now take over 20 sick days annually - up 20 per cent from last year.
Staff average 10 days off sick, making Havering the seventh worst in London. Neighbouring Bexley loses just £1m yearly to sickness, with only 40 per cen of staff calling in sick.
Another red flag is Havering's rock-bottom referral rate to occupational health services - just 83 compared to 495 in nearby Barking and Dagenham.
Cllr Frost added: "If we want our borough to function well, all of us in the local government family have a duty to ensure that staff feel supported and appreciated.
"Whether that is through responsive management or ensuring that those that are struggling take up the occupational health benefits that are on offer to staff."
A spokesperson for Havering Council said: "The wellbeing of our staff is paramount and we are doing all we can to ensure that they are well looked after and feel supported, in order to reduce staff sickness.
"However, due to increased pressures on our services and reduced funding, this can lead to staff suffering the effects of juggling their demanding workloads, resulting in sickness.
"We have programmes in place, such as wellbeing initiatives, staff networks and occupational health and employee assistance programmes, which we actively encourage staff to take advantage of."
