Bradford Council has saved more than £1 million in the last year through a continuing crackdown on the number of sick days taken by its staff.

In the past five years the average number of days lost per employee has dropped by four, from 14.29 in 2005-06 to 10.31 days in 2010-11.

The figures also show that the sickness rate fell from 11.4 in 2009-10, representing an efficiency saving of £1 million for the reduction of one day in the average figure.

Despite the 2010-11 overall target of ten days being narrowly missed, the latest target for this financial year has been set at nine days, which if met, will mean a further £1 million saving.

See Monday's T&A for the full story