WORKERS at Hart District Council take too many days off sick, a report has concluded.

The Comprehensive Area Assess-ment report by the Audit Commis-sion judged the council’s management of its workers as poor, citing low morale, weak staff training and high sickness levels.

Hart also needed to take on more staff, the commission warned.

The report stated: “Staffing problems need urgent attention so that the council can develop the new plans it needs and can manage the private companies running some of its services.”

Other areas of its performance were judged to be performing “adequately” but the council’s ability to ensure an adequate supply of affordable housing was criticised. The commission noted only 14 homes were delivered last year and 17 the year before, while 1,500 residents wait for an affordable home.

Hart took too long over planning decisions, had no idea how much carbon dioxide it was emitting and the public were not satisfied with waste collection, although this was improving, the report stated.

The commission, however, praised the authority for a high level of recycling.

Crime in the area is low, it added.

Council leader Councillor Ken Crookes called the report encouraging. He said: “The whole way of assessment has been tightened up this time around.”

Cllr Crookes said resolving problems with development near the environmentally-sensitive Thames Basin Heath special protection area had affected house-building until recently and then it had been hit by the recession.

The council was working with Sentinel Housing Association and other partners to address the problem, he said.

He said levels of absence through sickness had improved, but small staff numbers meant a small number of people off on long-term sick leave could “skew” the figures.

“Morale is impacted by a number of things, not least of which is being under constant financial pressure of having to make efficiencies which means, unfortunately, redundancies,” he said.

Cllr Crookes said the council is addressing the shortage of staff by working with other councils, for example sharing legal services with Basingstoke, and contracting certain services, such as council tax collection, out to private companies.

The leader, who represents Odiham, called the commission’s comments about refuse collection “baffling”, adding: “It was bad three or four years ago but it has improved dramatically since then.”