Gateshead and south tyneside councils highest in regional gender pay gap

WHILE THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE SEEN A DECLINE IN THEIR GENDER PAY GAPS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS, BOTH COUNCILS MAINTAIN THEY WILL CONTINUE TO TACKLE THE DISPARITY 17:09, 29 May 2025 Gateshead

and South Tyneside councils have the highest gender pay disparities across the seven North East local authorities. Government figures from the financial years 2024/25 have shown that female

employees at Gateshead and South Tyneside have a median hourly pay gap of 10.01% and 12.9% respectively compared to men. The median, according to the GOV.UK website, is the middle pay figure

when hourly pay is set from highest to lowest. According to Gateshead Council documents, a gender pay gap is distinct from the concept of equal pay. Male and female employees are guaranteed

equal pay for equal work by the Equality Act 2010. Gender pay gaps are measured to mark the difference between male and female average earnings across an organisation to understand barriers

to higher incomes. The gender pay gap report heading to Gateshead Council’s women and girls committee states: “While having a GPG [gender pay gap] is not unlawful, it is important that

organisations become more focused on bridging the pay gap that exists. Reporting on the GPG means that we can better understand our workforce’s experience and make changes that really bring

about equality.” The median hourly pay gap between women and men per local authority is as follows: * South Tyneside: 12.9% * Gateshead: 10.01% * Northumberland: 3.37% * Sunderland: 3.35% *

Durham: 2.11% * Newcastle: 1.73% * *North Tyneside: -0.8% *North Tyneside is an outlier here, meaning that women earn on average 0.8% more than men within the local authority. Although

Gateshead and South Tyneside are top of the pay disparity for 2024/25, the percentage has decreased from 2023/24. The median gap for women in South Tyneside was 16.8% whereas in Gateshead it

was 13%. A spokesperson for the South Tyneside Council said: "The Council is an equal pay employer. The gender pay gap data highlights the difference between the average pay of men and

women; it is not a measure of equal pay, which relates to what men and women are paid for the same roles or work of similar or equal value. "The Council is responsible for delivering a

wide variety of services in areas as diverse as adult social Care, ICT, finance, legal services, and regeneration. Roles within these areas are very different in terms of requirements and

hours of work and certain roles have historically seen a gender bias. Roles in areas such as refuse collection, ICT and construction services have tended to attract more men, whereas roles

in areas such as social care, customer services, catering and cleaning have tended to attract more women, especially in areas where a high proportion of roles are part time. "Our pay

gap has continued to decrease year on year, and we are committed to reducing the pay gap further. We have prioritised key areas for action and review on a regular basis. This includes

closing the gap in areas around flexible working, employee development and recruitment and selection processes to ensure there is no gender bias in recruiting decisions." Councillor

Sharron Potts, chair of the newly-formed Women and Girls Committee at Gateshead Council, said: “As an employer, the council offers a broad range of roles across a number of diverse services

and like many organisations, we have seen that lower paid roles have traditionally attracted more women than men – particularly those that offer more part-time positions. This is reflected

in the fact that 68.1% of employees in our lowest paid jobs are women. “However, women also now account for more than half of employees in our highest paid jobs (57.6%) and overall, our

gender pay gap is decreasing. To ensure this progress continues, the council has several projects under way to ensure all current and future employees benefit from an inclusive recruitment

process, fair pay, support for personal development and policies that promote a healthy work / life balance and physical and mental wellbeing. Article continues below “We remain committed to

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