FEMALE employees at Wyre Forest District Council earn on average 10 per cent more than men, the authority’s data has revealed.

New Government rules mean that all public sector employers have to publish a snapshot of their workforce’s earnings to highlight any disparity in pay between the earnings of male and female staff.

And, by March 31 2017, Wyre Forest District Council’s gender pay figures showed women were being paid between 10 and 12.5 per cent more than their male colleagues.

Bosses say the main reason for this is the number of women in senior positions at the authority. The workforce as a whole is made up of 52 per cent women and 48 per cent men.

The make-up of the senior corporate leadership was 60 per cent women to 40 per cent men and the top 20 senior service managers are 71 per cent women and 29 per cent men.

Cabinet Member for Resources Councillor Nathan Desmond, who is responsible for equality and diversity at Wyre Forest District Council, said: “Overall, we have a well-balanced workforce here in Wyre Forest, with roughly half men and half women.

“Our figures certainly show that there is no glass ceiling, with the majority of senior positions taken by women.

“When average income is calculated our figures show women earning at least 10 per cent more than men.

“But I’m confident this is not highlighting a bias against men. It is largely down to the fact that the majority of frontline jobs in the lower pay bands are occupied by male workers.

“We will not be complacent and we will continue with our successful policies to ensure equal opportunity for all, irrespective of gender, so we have the right people in the right place to offer the top quality services that our residents, businesses and visitors to the district deserve.”