Women lead the way in pay at Blackpool Council

The latest annual report into the gender pay gap at the town hall is slightly favourable towards female staff.

It indicates a negative pay gap of just under one per cent which indicates women are on average paid a greater hourly rate than men.

This compares to national gender pay gap figures for all employees which show men typically earn 15 per cent more than women.

Around two thirds of Blackpool Council’s 2,851 employees are women, and they are represented in all pay grades.

A meeting of the council’s chief officers employment committee was told women were advancing through pay grades at the same pace as men.

Councillors heard this was a trend over the past four years, thanks “to the council’s family friendly policies, fair and transparent recruitment processes and access to learning and develop opportunities.”

The gender pay gap is defined as the differences in the average earnings of men and women over a standard period of time, regardless of the seniority of their role.

A positive pay gap indicates that men are paid on average a greater hourly rate; a negative pay gap indicates that women are paid on average a greater hourly rate.

The committee also heard the recruitment process had begun to replace Diane Booth as director of children’s services, following the announcement she will retire at the end of March.

In the interim, the current assistant director Jeanette Richards will become acting head of children’s services.

* Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here