A survey conducted after Oxford City Council recorded England's worst sickness record has revealed that only 42 per cent of staff are satisfied with their jobs.

The survey questioned 1,200 full-time staff about pay, promotion prospects, job security and training.

In September, it emerged that staff working for the council had the worst sickness record out of 238 district councils last year, costing the taxpayer more than £1m.

The council's chief executive Marion Headicar, and Alex Hollingsworth, leader of the council, have promised staff they will take action to address issues raised in the survey, carried out by polling organisation Mori.

Mr Hollingsworth said: "While the results of this survey are not a surprise, they do provide us with a definitive picture of the problems the council faces.

"When we formed our administration in May, we knew that many staff were unhappy. Rather than ignore it, we have chosen to identify the scale of the problem and tackle the causes.

"We will be carrying out regular surveys to ensure that we can see and measure improvements. We are serious about our commitment to improve staff morale and provide better services to people in Oxford."

Mori is now analysing the results so the council can target problem areas. Key results, with comparisons from a 1999 survey in brackets, are:

42 per cent are satisfied with their present job (57 per cent)

45 per cent are satisfied with job security (59 per cent)

16 per cent are satisfied with opportunities for personal development (24 per cent)

43 per cent of staff said they had the right amount of work to do (46 per cent)

43 per cent said the council gave staff limited information (43 per cent)

Martin Gregory, branch secretary of the local government union Unison, welcomed the survey and called on the council to address the problems.

He said the level of dissatisfaction revealed by the survey did not give staff "the best chance to serve the public".

Mrs Headicar said: "In the last 18 months this organisation has undergone tremendous change.

"These changes are now complete and it was the right time to conduct this survey to find out where the problems lie. I am committed to working with staff, the unions and councillors to address issues and make the council a better place to work."

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