Gender Pay Gap narrative 2021-22

Colchester Council is one of a comparatively small number of organisations where the median average hourly pay rate for women is slightly above that of men. This is calculated by ranking all employees from the highest paid to the lowest paid and taking the hourly wage of the person in the middle; so the median gender pay gap is the difference between women’s median hourly wage (the middle-paid woman) and men’s median hourly wage (the middle-paid man).

The median average hourly pay rate does not mean that every female employee earned more than a male employee – it’s an average across all employees and reflects the fact that more women than men have roles in the ‘top earning half’ of the organisation. Women held 281 (53.2%) of the roles in the top and upper middle pay quartiles - compared with 247 men (46.8%).

We continue to have one transparent pay system for all staff, and to monitor our recruitment and employment practices. Job evaluation is carried out to objectively assess the demands of each job. Colchester Council’s Officer Pay Policy ensures that all parts of the organisation are operating fairly and consistently, and this policy is reviewed and agreed annually by full Council.