NORTH Somerset Council employees take more days off sick than people who work for some other local authorities

NORTH Somerset Council employees take more days off sick than people who work for some other local authorities.Figures for North Somerset have been compared to those of 10 other local authorities with a similar make up.The figures show that on average from April 1 to December 31, 2006, the number of working days or shifts that North Somerset employees lost due to sickness was 9.27, while the average among the comparable 11 authorities is 8.86.The same report, which was put before the local authority's health overview and scrutiny panel on Wednesday, shows that people working in North Somerset schools took nearly 23,000 days off sick between them over the same period.The information has been put together by North Somerset Council officers as part of an update into initiatives to promote 'employee health and well-being.' It states the four areas for health promotion among North Somerset Council employees should be 'smoking, alcohol, skin and stress.'A council spokesman said: "These figures are only for 11 local authorities. Nationally we are below average.