The pension gender gap report is the first of its kind to be published by a local authority, while Camden also remains one of few organisations in the country to report pay gaps by disability and ethnicity - demonstrating the Council’s commitments to transparency over and above statutory requirements and to addressing inequalities where they exist.
Pay analysis for 2021/22 found that there is no significant gender pay gap at the Council, that the Council is continuing to make positive progress in closing any existing pay gaps, and that its staff at senior grades are becoming more representative of Camden’s community.
The pension gender gap report found that a gender gap exists within the pension fund used by Camden Council’s staff (the Local Government Pension Scheme) and that it is likely caused by historic gender inequalities in the workplace and across society.
Key findings in the reports include:
• Representation of Black, Asian and Other Ethnicity staff has increased at all levels, including at Chief Officer level where representation has increased for a second year in a row. However, higher representation at lower levels continues to drive the ethnicity pay gap, which favours White staff
• The pay gap has decreased for part-time employees, at Director level, and for disabled employees
• A gender gap exists in the Council’s pension fund, which is likely caused by historical gender inequalities. Contributing factors were found to appear around the age of 30 when the pay gap has historically began to favour males and the number of females working part time was found to increase
• The report found that on average for every £1 of pension paid to males, females receive 75p
Jo Brown, Director of People and Inclusion, Camden Council says: “Camden has a long tradition of promoting equality and we’re proud to be one of the most diverse places in the country. As an organisation we remain determined to make meaningful and lasting change so that our workplace is both inclusive and representative of the communities we serve. To help achieve this ambition, we have been voluntarily reporting our gender, ethnicity and disability pay gap since 2015, and we continue to be one of only a few organisations that continue to go beyond the statutory reporting requirements.
“This year we are proud to be going even further by becoming the first local authority to publish our pension gender gap alongside this report. We believe that by shining a light on any disparity in pay and pensions you can acknowledge the issues that exist and begin to talk about how to fix them.
“We know that there is still much more that we need to do as an organisation - our key priorities are to keep increasing representation across the Council, close any remaining pay gaps, and ensure that work towards equality continues to support our staff beyond retirement. However, we are pleased to see that the work we have been doing so far is beginning to have a positive impact, with the representation of staff from Black, Asian and Other Ethnicity groups increasing at all levels, our disability pay gap decreasing once again, and continued progress towards closing pay gaps.”
Julie West, Head of LGPS Actuarial Services, Hymans Robertson said: “We’re proud to have completed this work with Camden Council looking at their gender pensions gap. Both service and pay impact on pension and a higher prevalence of service breaks and part-time hours in the female population, alongside the historic gender pay gap, means that the pensions gender gap is a real issue for many women approaching retirement.”
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