Long Term Sick data
Case reference FOI2025/00472
Received 20 March 2025
Published 2 April 2025
Request
Response
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION REF: FOI2025/00472
I write in response to your request for information, dated 20th March, in which you seek access to the information stated:
REQUEST
We formally request under the FOI 2000 regulations Act data you hold in relation to your headline figures/estimates where people are still on full contractual paid but classed as long-term sick:
Number of days Ave staff numbers Est annual cost
>60 but less than 120
>120 but less than 365
> 1yr but less than 2yr
> 2yr but less than 3yr
more than 3yr's
Please accept this letter as a formal response to your request, which has been considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
DECISION
The City of London Police (CoLP) can confirm, under Section 1(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), that information is held. However, the CoLP do not specifically hold “Ave,” considered to be average staff numbers nor an “Est,” considered to be estimated annual costs. The CoLP can confirm that actual staff numbers and actual costs are held, and this response is based upon actuals.
Some information is disclosed herewith, however, information pertaining to individuals where there are five or less is considered to be exempt, by virtue of the Section 40: Personal Information and Section 38 Health and Safety. Please see explanation below.
REASON FOR DECISION
The considered of low numbers of sickness, days and cost (essentially salary), whereby individuals may be identified and confidentiality generally may be breached, is not taken lightly and therefore is considered to be exempt.
Section 40(2)(a)(b)(3A)(a) Personal Information
Information considered for disclosure under the provisions of the FOIA, is considered to be disclosable into the public domain, effectively to the world, such as placing information on a public website or a park bench, by way of example, and not just to one individual requester. To disclose even the number of individuals, in response to your request, would publicly reveal information about an individual or individuals, thereby breaching the right to privacy afforded to persons under the Data Protection Act 2018, regardless of whether they are considered to be a representing a public cost. This would not be considered to be fair or lawful. Section 40 is an absolute exemption and there is no requirement for me to provide evidence of the prejudice that would occur, or to conduct a public interest test.
Section 38(1)(a) Health and Safety
The health and safety of all officers and staff is of upmost importance to the CoLP. The harm of disclosing sickness details of individuals will not give due regard to this.
Factors for disclosure;
The number of staff and costs to the public purse will enable public debate, awareness and understanding.
Factors for non-disclosure;
The risks to the individuals are significant, given that they are already suffering from a sick-ness, expect some confidentiality and rely upon their employer to protect their wellbeing. A loss in confidence by employees may result in resignation or further/continued sickness, resulting in further costs and resource implication to public service and policing.
Public interest test;
It cannot be in the interests of the public to know the specifics of an individual or small number of individuals, which category of days they may fall into and their actual costs, if this results in identifying individuals, sick staff identifying themselves or costing the public authority further, in lost sickness days, loss of employment, recruitment or legal action. The CoLP consider that given these potential outcomes, the factors for non-disclosure outweigh the factors for disclosure and are therefore protecting the small numbers held, both staff numbers and costs (actual).
DISCLOSURE
Number of days Actual Staff numbers Actual annual cost
>60 but less than 120 10 £169,631
>120 plus 8 £336,413
*Caveats;
i) The staff numbers include officers and staff, and are not estimates.
ii) The sickness start date was used to calculate the pay from the payroll reports. Individuals that are on half pay have been omitted, as the request only asked for full pay long term sick employees.
iii) The data is supplied by the CoLP Finance Team.
Documents
This is City of London Police's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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