Ethnicity Pay Gap Report 2023 - 2024
Background
The ethnicity pay gap report for Warwick District Council sets out the ethnicity pay gap information relating to employees and is calculated in line with the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.
Unlike the gender pay gap, there is no legal requirement for companies to publish their ethnicity pay gap. A recent report by the Commission for Race and Ethnic Disparities recommended that the practice remain voluntary due to a lack of diversity in some parts of the country. A coalition of workers’ groups have called for ethnicity pay gap reporting to be made mandatory so employers can better address pay disparities.
Warwick District Council has decided to voluntarily publish its ethnicity pay gap data because we believe it’s an important step towards ensuring our workforce is diverse, inclusive, and fair for everyone.
This report identifies the Council’s ethnicity pay gap data using pay data on the snapshot date of 31 March 2024, and in relation to ‘bonuses’ paid between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.
The WDC ethnicity pay reporting figures have been calculated using the standard methodologies used in the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017. Previous advice received from the historic WCC’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Practitioner is that for the purposes of the calculation ‘Not declared’ should be included in the ‘White British’ category. Guidance has since been changed from the government, and ‘White British’ and ‘Not declared’ are now separated out in the calculations.
The data includes the following types of staff:
- Employees with a contract of employment (part time, full time, permanent and fixed term)
- Casuals/Workers
- Apprentices
The data does not include temporary staff employed through an agency.
Ethnicity Data
The move to a combined HR & Payroll system (I-Trent) in April 2021, prohibited the transfer of ethnicity categories, as it was incompatible data.
The challenge to increase self-disclosure rates is being addressed by implementing a communication plan to educate employees about the importance of ethnicity disclosure, the benefits to the organisation and the impact on fostering an inclusive workplace. This will be a 3-step approach:
- General messaging and using the intranet
- Targeting senior leaders / managers
- Approaching areas of the business with low disclosure rates
It is imperative that we recognise that the information reported related to ethnicity is not a mandatory requirement and is voluntarily disclosed. This is stated on our application forms.
Ethnicity is special category of personal data, and therefore due to the low number of disclosures, it is not possible to provide more detailed breakdown as this could constitute personal data and directly identify individuals. Furthermore, as a result, the data provided cannot be classed as representative of the organisation, which we are addressing.
| Category - Ethnicity | 2023 | 2023 % | 2024 | 2024 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not declared | 207 | 43% | 210 | 41.3% |
| Prefer not to say | 6 | 1.3% | 7 | 1.4% |
| Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic | 32 | 6.7% | 44 | 8.7% |
| White | 234 | 48.9% | 247 | 48.6% |
| Total | 479 | 100% | 508 | 100% |
Disclosure rates:
| Year | Disclosure Rates |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 55.6% |
| 2024 | 58.7% |
Ethnicity Pay Gaps
The table below shows the WDC Ethnicity Pay Gap figures as at 31.3.2024, together with an updated comparison of the 31.3.2023.
| Gap between declared White and Not-White Categories | 31.3.2023 | 31.3.2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Ethnicity Pay Gap | 8.1% | 13.5% |
| Median Ethnicity Pay Gap | 16.7% | 16.4% |
| Mean Ethnicity Bonus Pay Gap | 2.7% | 39.0% |
| Median Ethnicity Bonus Pay Gap | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Ethnicity Pay Quartiles
The table below shows the WDC Ethnicity Pay Quartiles as at 31.3.2024, together with an updated comparison of the 31.3.2023.
| Based on all those paid in March 2024 - includes not declared and prefer not to say | 31.3.2023 | 31.3.2024 |
|---|---|---|
| % of Not-White employees in lower pay quartile | 9.2% | 12.6% |
| % of Not-White employees in lower middle pay quartile | 7.5% | 7.9% |
| % of Not-white employees in upper middle pay quartile | 3.3% | 7.9% |
| % of Not-white employees in upper pay quartile | 6.7% | 6.3% |
It is not possible to provide a summary of analysis or trends for this information based on the rationale set out at the start of this report on disclosure rates.
Analysis
Further analysis and actions will be undertaken as part of the review of the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) agenda. It should be noted, that addressing the underlying causes of a gender pay and ethnicity pay gap as well as developing an effective action plan, is an ongoing and iterative process, and the data should not be reviewed in isolation. Time is required to both consider in detail the approach to adopt, and to refine the content as well as consider comparative data to be able to benchmark best practice both internally and externally.
Equality Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
The ‘Equalities, Diversity, Inclusion and Workplace Behaviours’ sessions delivered between October 2023 and January 2024 were attended by 294 staff. 90% of participants agreed (65.3%) and strongly agreed (25.3%) that the course was beneficial to their personal development. This is now included as a key component of our Induction programme of which over 380 staff have attended to date.
All recruiting managers attend ‘Recruitment & Selection’ and ‘HR for non-HR Managers’ training that has a focus on equality, related legislation, types of discrimination, being aware of unconscious bias and looking at factual evidence around applicants’ knowledge and skills.
Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is a key theme of the People Strategy. This includes our approach to Equality Impact Assessments and the toolkit that supports managers. We also raise awareness and cover internal information on key events, such as information for Pride Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, Stephen Lawrence Day, Windrush Day, with many more planned alongside our inclusion calendar.
We continue to promote and review the benefits of working for Warwick District Council through our ‘family friendly’ policies, for example maternity ‘pay back’ scheme withdrawn; health and well-being scheme; agile working; continued development of flexible working options that support effective work life balance; development opportunities including an increased promotion of ‘work apprenticeship’ training.