Issue - meetings

The Committee was informed that the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 imposed obligations on employers with 250 or more employees to publish information annually relating to the gender pay gap in their organisation.  In particular, employers were required to publish, amongst other information, the difference between the average hourly rate of pay paid to male and female employees; and the relative proportions of male and female employees in each quartile pay band of the workforce.

The Committee therefore considered Guildford’s Gender Pay Gap Report for 2023, which would be published on the Council’s website and on a publicly accessible Government website and retained for a period of three years.

The figures in the Report, which were based on hourly rates of pay, showed that:

·       the Council’s female employees had an average hourly rate that was 7% higher than male employees’ hourly rate; and

·       at the mid-point within the range of hourly earnings that the Council paid its employees, female employees had an hourly rate that was 12% higher than male employees’ hourly rate.

The main reason for this gender pay gap was an imbalance of male and female colleagues across the services as there was a much higher proportion of men working in the Waste Operations and Parks & Street scene Services.  Many of the roles within those services fell within the lower pay bands. 

The report was provided to the Committee for information purposes only.  In reviewing governance processes, it was proposed that in future this report was not submitted to the Committee, but instead shared with its members through a link to the document on the Council’s website each year.

During the debate the following points were raised:

·       It was suggested that committee members be sent copies of future years’ reports by email.

·       The Committee had previously requested comparative data in future years’ Gender Pay Gap Reports, of how Guildford had performed nationally in respect of the gender pay gap, which had not been provided in this year’s Report. 

The Committee

RESOLVED:

(1)   That the Gender Pay Gap Report for the year 2023, attached at Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Committee, be noted.

(2)   That, in future, the Gender Pay Gap Report is no longer submitted to the Committee and instead is emailed to all committee members for information.

Reasons:

(1)   To provide the Committee with information on the Council’s Gender Pay Gap.

(2)   To streamline the governance process for the report.

The Committee was informed that the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 imposed obligations on employers with 250 or more employees to publish information annually relating to the gender pay gap in their organisation.  In particular, employers were required to publish, amongst other information, the difference between the average hourly rate of pay paid to male and female employees; and the relative proportions of male and female employees in each quartile pay band of the workforce.

The Committee therefore considered Guildford’s Gender Pay Gap Report for 2022, which would be published on the Council’s website and on a publicly accessible Government website and retained for a period of three years.

The figures in the Report, which were based on hourly rates of pay, showed that:

·       the Council’s female employees had an average hourly rate that was 8% higher than male employees’ hourly rate; and

·       at the mid-point within the range of hourly earnings that the Council paid its employees, female employees had an hourly rate that was 13% higher than male employees’ hourly rate.

The main reason for this gender pay gap was an imbalance of male and female colleagues across the services as there was a much higher proportion of men working in the Waste Operations and Parks & Street scene Services.  Many of the roles within those services fell within the lower pay bands. 

During the debate a request was made for comparative data, in future years’ Gender Pay Gap Reports, of how Guildford had performed nationally in respect of the gender pay gap, and in respect of those employees in the lower quartile, a breakdown as to the number of full time, part time, and outsourced workers.  The Lead Specialist (Human Resources) confirmed that this could be provided.

The Committee

RESOLVED: That the Gender Pay Gap Report for the year 2022, attached at Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Committee, be noted, subject to the following further actions:

Reason:
To comply with the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017.