A Freedom of Information request made by the Welsh Conservatives has revealed that the number of local authority staff in Pembrokeshire who took stress-related leave last year is up by 36.20% on the last two years. The number of staff on stress leave in 2018/19 was 384, compared to 282 in 2016/17.

Mr Davies said, “This trend is certainly very worrying and I hope that Pembrokeshire County Council will reflect on these figures and ascertain ways of better supporting its staff. The Freedom of Information request showed some improvements in other parts of Wales, like Monmouthshire and Anglesey and so it’s crucial that Pembrokeshire seriously considers how to tackle this issue so that we do not see these figures continue to rise in future years.”

He added, “Pembrokeshire County Council must ensure that it doesn’t take staff wellbeing for granted and implements support programmes for its workforce to minimise the number of staff on stress-related leave. If this trend continues in the next few years, it could result in having some very serious consequences on the quality of our public services and the Council must ensure that doesn’t happen.”