We’re pleased to share our latest Gender Pay Gap report which highlights the positive progress we’ve made over the last 12 months towards closing our gender pay gap and empowering equality across the council. 

The annual report sets out workforce gender composition data across the organisation and details the average hourly pay for men and women for the previous pay period (April 2022 to March 2023). It allows us to review any gender pay gap, assess progress made in closing the gap and identify actions to continue our drive for equal pay and gender equality. 

Here are the key findings from the report: 

• Our overall workforce composition is predominantly female, with 68.2% female compared to 31.8% male. This is a 1.2% increase in female workers from the previous year (2022-2023).  
• The most significant difference is for pay grade 1-3 roles, with 71.8% female compared to 28.2% male. 
• We’ve seen a slight increase in females in pay grade 12-17 and senior management roles, with 64% female, compared to 36% male.  
• 71% of our senior leadership team are female including a female Chief Executive and the first ever female Deputy Leader of the council. 
• A female employee now earns on average 1.8% (median) or 0.9% (mean) more than a male employee, reflecting a reduction in the gender pay gap with female's average pay now exceeding that of males.  

We’re proud of our ongoing work to embed equality, diversity and inclusion into our culture as an employer and within our communities.  

Here’s just some of the recent work we’ve undertaken: 

• As part of our Equality and Diversity awareness calendar, we supported International Women’s Day (IWD) last week. This included events and displays in our libraries, a focus on women related health and wellbeing, a celebration of local women’s achievements and acknowledging the wonderful women who work for the council. 
• We’ve been accredited a Menopause Friendly Employer this year, offering an employer support group, menopause cafes, training and wellness days. 
• We’ve introduced female friendly uniform for our female depot workforce. 
• We run a series of equality and diversity related training courses for employees and recruitment panels. 

Sarah Norman, Chief Executive of Barnsley Council, said: “I’m so proud of the work we undertake year on year to tackle the differences in gender pay and equality across the council. This year’s report really demonstrates our ongoing commitment and determination to continue addressing any gender imbalance.

“Equality and diversity are at the heart of our organisation and key in achieving our vision and values. We’ve taken some fantastic steps to embed equality into our culture, such as dedicated training courses, hosting our popular Menopause Cafes and closely reviewing our workforce demographics.  

“We have plans to keep empowering equality through the development of career pathways within our services, as well as the ongoing review of areas where women and other groups are underrepresented. 

“I’m also proud of our diverse and inclusive borough and embrace diversity within our communities. Together, we can all do our bit to create cohesive communities and inspire inclusion, so everyone feels welcome, valued and treated with the respect they deserve in our borough.” 

Cabinet members will be presented with the report for approval at their next Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 20 March.    

You can read the full cabinet report and Gender Pay Gap report here.