We are committed to achieving a 0% gender pay gap and to being a fair, inclusive organisation with a workforce that reflects the community it serves.
The median pay gap is the best representation of the typical gender pay difference. The revised 2025 median pay gap is -7.25% (-6.04% in 2024), meaning the median pay for female employees is slightly higher.
The mean pay gap considers our full earnings distribution, including both lower and higher earners.
Analysis, including Equality Impact Assessments and workforce surveys, indicates that pay changes have particularly benefited women and other underrepresented groups.
We have a higher proportion of female employees overall and across all pay quartiles, including at senior officer levels.
In 2025, the full-time employee pay gap remained broadly stable at around 7%.
This is still below the gap of 9% before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2019.
Our revised mean gender pay gap is -7.07% (-1.72% in 2024).
The wider 2025 gap is largely due to over 500 employees being absent from work due to sickness, maternity or paternity leave, or unpaid leave at the snapshot date.
From 1 December 2025, we will implement new terms and conditions through the Pay & Reward programme, introducing a unified reward approach to support greater fairness and transparency.
The Pay & Reward programme has already supported positive change by moving towards a unified grading system, improving transparency and helping to reduce pay inequalities.
Through our overarching People strategy, we are reviewing how we attract, retain and develop our employees. This aims to make access to opportunities more equal and support a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion. Our most senior management levels have a majority of female employees at service director and corporate director levels.
You can also view information on our pay gap reporting on GOV.UK.