Long-term sickness just an excuse, says councillor

In Worcestershire, figures show that only 50% of people's sick notes issued by GPs have a diagnosis, the council cabinet was told

Long-term sickness is just an "excuse for job evasion", a council cabinet member says.

Alan Amos, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for business and skills, has also urged the government to "take an axe" to welfare payments.

Amos made the points as he introduced Get Worcestershire Working to a cabinet meeting on Thursday, an initiative aimed at "getting people into work or back into work".

Councillors backed the plan after Amos's presentation, in which he said long-term sickness accounts for 34% of economic inactivity in Worcestershire, with "diagnosis not provided for just over 50 percent of fit notes", which "is extraordinary".

He also said the other 66% of inactive residents "are there for a variety of credible reasons".

Councillor Alan Amos told the meeting there were too many young people who claim they cannot work because they said they have anxiety or depression

"Clearly, the Government needs to take an axe to these welfare payments. For far too long, this country has been living beyond its means.

"[The Government] must stop this endless and absurd medicalisation of behaviours and attitudes, for which there are no medical solutions because there are no medical conditions to treat.

"How depressing this welfare dependency is when one million young people are not in work, when so many claim they cannot work because they claim they have anxiety and depression.

"This latest excuse for job evasion is completely unsustainable. What kind of a life is it to be welfare dependent? What kind of a country have we become?"

The initiative brings together health services, job centres, education providers, and local authorities to support people facing barriers to work, including long-term illness, caring responsibilities, and lack of skills.

'Questionable claims about young'

Key programmes include youth employment hubs, health-integrated job support, and fast-track training in priority sectors.

With over 50,000 residents potentially needing help, the plan aims to simplify access to services and ensure "no one is left behind."

Councillor David Taylor said the employment statistics for young people in Redditch are "deeply concerning".

"Young people need structure, ambition and pathways to success," he said. "Without these they risk falling into cycles of gang involvement and anti-social behaviour."

However, councillor Natalie McVey said there were "some questionable claims about made-up illnesses and our young population".

"Young people who aren't working are often engaged in the same activities as older people who aren't working," she said.

"They're looking for work, they're volunteering, they're engaged in informal learning, they're carers."

Councillor Dan Boatright-Greene said funding being "ripped out" of further education, with colleges "consolidating courses into super campuses" leaving young people unable to get to get into their preferred areas of study.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.