Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for People and Communities.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council:-

(1)  note the findings as follows:-

• the average rate of pay for females is higher than males across the Council;
• the mean average difference has increased since last year from 2.91% to 5.07%;
• the median average difference has increased since last year from 9.71% to 14.03%; and
• there are nearly 3 times more males in the lower quartile of earnings than females.

(2)  approves the publication of the ender Pay Gap Report on the Exeter City Council website and on the national database on gov.uk; and

(3)  approves the annual review of the report to track the relationship between both female and male earnings.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

The Executive received the Gender Pay Gap report, which was a statutory requirement of the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 for local authorities employing 250 or more employees to produce gender pay gap information relating to employees. The Act required that the Council report the criteria outlined in the report and to publish its gender pay report by March 2025.

Particular reference was made to the 4.24% increase for the number of females in the upper middle quartile since 2023, leading to an increase in the gender pay gap.

During the discussion, Executive Members raised the following points and questions:-

·         there had been previous discussions about gender representation in lower pay grades and a push to recruit more females into those roles; and

·         it was requested whether a 10-year trend graph analysing the mean pay differences between men and women could be made available?

An opposition group leader enquired whether any comparison data could also be made with other with neighbouring authorities to address recruitment challenges.

In response to questions and points raised, the Strategic Director – People and Community advised that:-

·         there was a potential unreliability in historical data for a 10-year analysis, however the Strategic Director would investigate this; and

·         as all Councils were required to publish this data the Strategic Director would place a request with Southwest Councils to see if they collated and benchmarked this data.

The Leader moved the recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Wright, voted upon, and CARRIED unanimously

RECOMMENDED that Council:-

(1)  note the findings as follows:-

• the average rate of pay for females is higher than males across the Council;
• the mean average difference has increased since last year from 2.91% to 5.07%;
• the median average difference has increased since last year from 9.71% to 14.03%; and
• there are nearly 3 times more males in the lower quartile of earnings than females.

(2)  approves the publication of the ender Pay Gap Report on the Exeter City Council website and on the national database on gov.uk; and

(3)  approves the annual review of the report to track the relationship between both female and male earnings.