Equality, diversity and inclusion annual report 2023

We monitor the characteristics of our workforce to:

• identify trends within employment practices
• investigate trends
• implement change where appropriate

It also enables us to fulfil our commitment to:

• ensure employment practices are free from discrimination
• meet our obligations under the Equality Act 2010

The provision of personal diversity information within the council is voluntary. Employees have the option of choosing not to share this information. The personnel system can be accessed on a self-serve basis. This allows employees to manage and amend their personal information. We encourage employees to provide this information as it helps us to improve how we support colleagues with different characteristics.

Where an employee has chosen not to share ethnicity, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation, this is shown on the workforce profile as 'unknown'. When employees choose not to share their personal diversity information, this can affect our ability to meaningfully report and benchmark monitoring information.

Additional data is also provided on:

• Recruitment process
• Pay and the gender pay gap
• Discipline, grievance and capability processes
• Turnover and leaver data

At the reporting date of 31 March 2023, there are 5,500 employees (excluding schools).

We have compared our workforce data to:

• the same period in 2022
• 2021 census data

This allows us to assess:

• if the composition of our workforce has changed
• whether it is reflective of the local community

The workforce profile differs within each part of the organisation depending on the roles undertaken and the purpose of the services. This report provides a summary across the council.

Where employee numbers are below 10, the detail will not be provided in this report to protect the anonymity of individual employees.  In these cases it will state ‘fewer than 10’.  Where possible there will be an indication of whether the percentage is above or below the workforce percentage of that characteristic.

Age

Age profile of workforce 31 March 2023

In common with many employers, the proportion of our staff who are in the older age groups continues to grow. There has been an increase since last year in the percentage of employees in the 35 to 39, 40 to 44 and 55 plus age groups.

As an ‘age friendly’ employer and part of the national ‘Ageing better’ programme, we aim to provide fulfilling work to people aged 50 and over.  We have reviewed the workforce data and employee survey responses from those aged 50 and over to show the current experience of employees in this age group and to understand whether they can access fulfilling work at Lincolnshire County Council.

• The percentage of employees aged 50 and above is 39.5% (2,167), an increase of 0.1% (50) over the year from 39.4% (2,117) in 2022. 
• In Lincolnshire, people aged 50 and over form 45% (343,670) of the population.
• 42.2% (914) of employees aged 50 and over work part-time compared with 33.5% (1,118) of employees under 50.

Apprenticeships

• There were 266 live apprenticeships in 2022 to 2023, a decrease of 107 from 2021 to 2022.
• Internally and externally provided apprenticeships are available to staff of any age.  They can support development up to level 7 (equivalent to a master’s degree).
• 17.7% of apprenticeships (47) were undertaken by employees under the age of 25.  There are 256 employees under the age of 25 which is 4.7% of the workforce.  Staff under the age of 25 are therefore around four times more likely to undertake an apprenticeship than older staff. Several of the courses offered support the development of administration and customer service skills for individuals who are leaving education or early in their careers.
• The majority of apprenticeships (45.5% or 121) were undertaken by employees aged between 25 and 40.
• 15.4% (41) were undertaken by employees aged 50 and over. Although this is not representative of the number of employees in this age group (39.4%) it shows that individuals are supported to continue their development through apprenticeships, regardless of their age.

Employee Survey

The figures and percentages can be found in the Employee survey section.

Respondents aged 50 and over were:

• less likely to say they have a fair opportunity to progress in their career
• less likely to say they are supported or have their contributions recognised by their manager
• more likely to say they maintain a good level of resilience and wellbeing

When asked whether they experience abuse at work, survey respondents aged 50 and over were no more likely than other groups to answer yes.

Disability

The number of employees sharing that they have a disability has increased year on year:

• 4.3% (230) in 2020
• 4.3% (231) in 2021
• 4.6% (249) in 2022
• 5.8% (319) in 2023

The percentage of employees whose disability status is not known has decreased in the last year from 46.3% (2,486) in 2022 to 24.3% (1,338).  Further work is in hand to encourage staff to feel confident about disclosing that they have a disability, with the aim of reducing still further the proportion whose status is unknown.

We continue to have a lower percentage of employees sharing that they have a disability (5.80%) compared to the Lincolnshire population (6.23%).

We have committed to the Disability Confident Scheme and have also been accredited as a Disability Confident employer. We also reference this in our recruitment and take action on the following commitment to:

• ensure the recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
• communicate and promote vacancies
• offer an interview to disabled people if they meet the minimum criteria for the post
• anticipate and provide reasonable adjustments as required when disabled employees are applying for and doing their jobs

The fact that the pay gap between employees with no disability and those with a disability is little more than half the national average suggests that these actions are having an impact. The distribution of staff across the various pay bands still suggests that it is more difficult for someone with a disability to secure a role at a more senior level than it is for someone without a disability. As the proportion of successful applicants recruited to the council who have a declared disability remains greater than the proportion of current staff with a disability, it seems likely that the proportion of all staff with a reported disability will continue to increase.

Disability statistics 2022 to 2023

• 5.8% (319) employees have shared that they have a disability.
• 24.3% (1,338) employees have not shared their disability status.

Pay

The disability pay gap of employees has been calculated for the first time this year. As 24.3% of employees have not declared their disability status, these employee records were not included, therefore 3892 employees were in scope for the disability pay gap calculations.  Of these employees 3616 (92.9%) have no disability and 276 (7.1%) of the employees have a disability.

• The 2023 disability pay gap:
  • The mean hourly rate for employees with no disability is £17.33 and for employees with a disability is £16.17.
  • The mean disability pay gap is 6.7%.
  • The median hourly rate for employees with no disability is £16.11 and for employees with a disability is £14.95.
  • The median disability pay gap is 7.2%.
  • The latest UK median disability pay gap reported by the ONS for 2021 was 13.8%
• Disability pay gap quartile bands

• 6.0% (312) of employees on grades G1 to G12 or equivalent salary levels (5223) shared that they have a disability.
• This reduces to less than 3.6% (fewer than 10) from G13 and above or equivalent salaries (277).

Recruitment

• 10.3% (1192) of job applicants (11604) shared that they had a disability (0.2% or 25 applicants did not declare their disability status).
• This has increased from 2022 when 8.6% (906) of job applicants (10,550) shared that they had a disability (0.8% or 80 applicants did not share their disability status).
• 12.0% (461) of shortlisted applicants (3844) shared that they had a disability.
• This has increased from 2022 when 10.0% (366) of shortlisted applicants (3,670) shared that they had a disability.
• 8.7% (101) of successful applicants (1,170) shared that they had a disability.
• This is a small increase from 2022 when 8.0% (101) of successful applicants (1,270) shared that they had a disability.
• A disabled applicant was 1.19 times more likely to be shortlisted than a non-disabled applicant. This has remained the same as in 2022.  As a Disability Confident employer, applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview if they meet the minimum criteria for the role.
• A non-disabled shortlisted applicant was 1.43 times more likely to be successful in the recruitment process.  This has increased from 1.25 times more likely in 2022.

Apprenticeships

• 6.39% of employees (17) on apprenticeship programmes (total 266) had a disability.  This is above the % of employees with a disability (5.73%) and is an increase from 2022 when 3.22% of employees (12) on apprenticeship programmes had a disability. 

Formal HR processes

• There were 40 formal disciplinary cases in 2022- 2023 and no cases related to people with a disability.
• There were 21 formal grievance cases. The percentage of cases raised by employees with a disability was 9.5%, which is greater than the percentage representation in the workforce (5.7%).
• There were no formal grievances relating to bullying and harassment raised by employees with a disability.
• There were 15 formal capability cases. The percentage of cases relating to employees with a disability was 20.0% which is greater than the percentage representation in the workforce (5.7%).
• Given the small number of such cases, a single additional case can cause a large shift in the percentage rates.

Employee Survey

The figures and percentages can be found in the Employee survey section.

• 89.3% of respondents answered the question which asked whether they had a disability or health condition.
• 15.9% of all respondents stated that they have a disability or health condition.
• Respondents who stated they have a disability were:
  • 5% less likely to say they have a fair opportunity to develop their career
  • 5% less likely to say they have their contributions recognised
  • 24% less likely to say they maintain a good level of resilience and wellbeing
  • 3% more likely to say they have regular one to one meetings with their manager 
• When asked if they experience any abuse at work, 33% or 124 out of 380 disabled respondents stated that they experience abuse at work compared to 25% or 435 out of 1758 non-disabled respondents. Employees with a disability were more likely to answer yes but less likely to say they feel supported to deal with it. They were more likely to receive abuse from service users and the public than any other group.

Leavers

• 5.6% (38) of leavers (678) had a disability which includes 26 resignations and 12 involuntary dismissals.
• The data suggests that someone with a disability was 5.4 times more likely to be dismissed than other employees, though this figure needs to be treated with care due to the very small numbers involved, such that an individual case can shift the percentages significantly.
• Someone with a disability was 1.3 times more likely to resign than other employees.
• This includes ill health dismissals which may lead to early access to pension benefits.

The high proportion of employees (24.3%) who have not shared their disability status is likely to have had an impact of the statistics of the pay comparison and the formal HR process reporting.

Carers

There are a number of employees who are indirectly affected by disability as they are carers for family or friends outside of work. As part of the employee survey, respondents were asked if they are a carer. The responses have been analysed to understand the experience of these individuals.

The figures and percentages can be found in the Employee survey section.

• There were 524 individuals who stated they are a carer. Carers’ responses were similar to those of individuals with a disability. Carers were:
  • 4% less likely to say they have their contributions recognised
  • 8% less likely to say they maintain a good level of resilience and wellbeing
  • 4% more likely to say they have regular one to one meetings with their manager.
• Carers were more likely to work in roles which involved interaction with the public, service users or partner organisations. They were more likely than most to experience abuse. Although the figures are low, they were the group with the highest proportion (7%) of individuals suffering abuse from colleagues or partner organisations.

Carers are also likely to fall into one or more of the protected characteristic groups.

• 75% or 384 of 513 carers who responded to the question, confirmed they are female.
• 24% or 127 of 522 carers who responded to the question, stated that they have a disability or health condition.
• 6% or 29 of 506 carers who responded to the question, identified themselves as from an ethnic minority background.
• 50% or 261 of 524 carers who responded to the question were aged 50 or over.

Ethnicity

The ethnicity categories for statistics purposes are regularly reviewed by many organisations with recent guidance published by the government in December 2021 .

For the purpose of this report ethnicities are grouped into the following categories or will be listed using each subcategory heading. This is to take account of the small numbers recorded under each ethnicity and to improve the reliability of the statistics.

Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities)

• Asian: Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Asian other
• Black: African, Caribbean, Black Other
• Mixed: White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean, Mixed Other
• Other: Arab, Any other ethnic group

White and white minorities

• White: British, Gypsy, Roma or Irish Traveller, Irish, White Other, White not specified

Where ‘white minorities’ is stated, this includes the groups described above not including white British.

The percentage of employees who are from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities) has increased from 3.05% (164) in 2022 to 3.07% (169) in 2023. This figure is lower than the 2021 Census figure for Lincolnshire residents which is 4% (30,834). 

The percentage of employees from white and white minority backgrounds has increased from 93.22% (5,008) to 93.55% (5,145) in the last year.

There has been a decrease year on year since 2019 in the number of employees whose ethnicity is unknown from 4.47% (239) in 2021 to 3.72% (200) in 2022 and 3.38% (186) in 2023.  

Ethnicity statistics 2022 to 2023

• 3.07% (169) of employees are from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities)
• 3.3% (182) of employees are from white minority backgrounds
• 90.2% (4963) of employees are white British

Pay

The ethnicity pay gap of employees has been calculated for the first time this year. The calculations were in line with the gender pay gap criteria and 5208 employees were in scope. Of these employees 5056 (97.1%) were from white backgrounds or their ethnicity was unknown. 152 (2.9%) of the employees were from ethnic minority backgrounds.

• The 2023 ethnicity pay gap:
  • The mean hourly rate for employees from white backgrounds or where ethnicity is unknown is £17.64 and for employees from ethnic minority backgrounds is £17.54.
  • The mean ethnicity pay gap is 0.6%.
  • The median hourly rate for employees from white backgrounds or where ethnicity is unknown is £16.11 and for employees from ethnic minority backgrounds is £16.11.
  • The median ethnicity pay gap is 0.0%.
• Ethnicity pay gap quartile bands

3.1% (164) of employees from ethnic minority backgrounds are on grades G1 to G12 or equivalent salaries (5,223).  This reduces (figure below 10) for the band G13 or equivalent and above (277).

Recruitment

• 12.5% or 1,454 (7.1% or 749 in 2021 to 2022) of job applicants (11604) were from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities).
• 5.0% or 581 of job applicants were from white minority backgrounds
• 7.6% or 293 (5.5% or 202 in 2021-2022) of shortlisted applicants (3844) were from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities).
• 4.9% or 57 (3.5% or 44 in 2021-2022) of successful applicants (1,170) were from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities).
• An applicant from a white or other white minority ethnicity is 1.7 times more likely to be shortlisted (1.3 times in 2022).
• An applicant who is white British is 1.5 times more likely to be shortlisted than an applicant from a white minority background.
• A shortlisted applicant from a white or other white minority ethnicity is 1.6 times more likely to be successful in the recruitment process (1.3 times in 2022).
• A shortlisted applicant from a white minority ethnicity as just as likely to be successful as a white British applicant.

Apprenticeships

• Fewer than 10 employees on apprenticeship programmes (266) were from an ethnic minority background. The percentage is below the organisation’s percentage 3.07%. Therefore in 2022 to 2023 employees of a white background were more likely to undertake an apprenticeship, though this has reduced from the previous year.
• The proportion of employees on apprenticeship programmes from white minority backgrounds was close to the proportion of employees in the organisation (3.3%).

Formal HR processes

• There were 40 formal disciplinary cases in total and fewer than 10 cases involving employees from an ethnic minority background. The percentage is above the organisation’s percentage of 3.07%.
• There were 21 formal grievances cases in total and none of these were raised by employees from ethnic minority backgrounds.
• There were 15 formal capability cases in total and none of these involved employees from an ethnic minority background.
• The very small number of cases means that even a single individual can affect the percentages significantly.

Employee Survey

The figures and percentages can be found in the Employee survey section.

• 4.5% (108) of all respondents (2395) identified themselves as being from an ethnic minority background (not including white minorities).
• Respondents from an ethnic minority background were:
  • 8% less likely to say they have a fair opportunity to progress and develop their career
  • 4% less likely to say they are supported by their line manager
  • 6% less likely to say they maintain a good level of resilience and wellbeing
• Employees from an ethnic minority background were:
  • the most likely to work with the public or partner organisations
  • 4% more likely to suffer abuse from service users or the public
  • 6% less likely to feel supported in dealing with abusive behaviours

Leavers

• 5.0% (34) of leavers (678) were from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities) which includes more than 20 resignations and fewer than 10 dismissals.
• Employees from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities) were 1.7 times more likely to resign than those from white ethnicities.
• Employees from ethnic minorities were 1.4 times more likely to be dismissed.  This has reduced from 2022 when employees from ethnic minorities were 1.7 times more likely to be dismissed. Dismissals include the end of temporary and fixed term contracts.
• 3.4% (23) of leavers (678) were from white minority backgrounds.
• When compared to white British employees, employees from other white backgrounds were 0.8 times less likely to be dismissed and just as likely to resign.

Marriage and civil partnership

The personnel system has a provision for employees to declare their marital status. In 2023 45.9% (2,526) of employees have recorded their marital status.  This has increased from 36.21% (1,945) in 2022.  We have not found evidence to suggest that there is a difference in the treatment of employees who are married or in a civil partnership compared to those who are not.

We do not record marital status as part of the recruitment processes.

Pregnancy and maternity

During the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023: 

• 121 employees took maternity leave, and there were no cases of adoption leave 
• Of all employees who finished their maternity leave during this period fewer than 10 left the organisation either before or shortly after returning to work 
• 11 employees used statutory paternity leave
• We do not record whether an applicant is pregnant, due to have or adopt a child as part of the recruitment process.

Religion or belief

The percentage of employees whose religion or belief has been left blank on their personnel record has reduced year on year from 7.3% (382) in 2019 to 5.7% (314) in 2023.  

There has also been a decrease in the number of employees who have stated that they would prefer not to disclose their religion or belief from 18.8% (985) in 2019 to 12.7% (700) in 2023.

We hold religion or belief data on 81.6% (4,486) of our employees. This is an increase from 79.0% (4,242) in 2022.

Religion or belief statistics 2022 to 2023

• 49.6% (2,725) of employees are Christian.
• 3.5% (194) of employees have other religions or beliefs including Buddhist, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan and Sikh.
• 53.1% (2919) of employees have a religion or belief.
• 28.2% (1548) of employees have no religion.

Recruitment

• There has been an increase in the percentage of applicants who have religious beliefs from 46.2% (4875) in 2021-2022 to 47.9% (5563) in 2022 -2023.
• 7.1% (825) applicants have religious beliefs other than Christian.
• 46.1% (1,772) of shortlisted applicants (3844) have religious beliefs, with 5.4% (207) being religious beliefs other than Christian.
• 44.4% (519) of successful applicants (1170) have religious beliefs, with 4.2% (49) being religious beliefs other than Christian.
• Applicants with no religion were 1.07 times more likely to be shortlisted than applicants with religious beliefs.
• Shortlisted applicants with no religion were 1.10 times more likely to be successful than applicants with religious beliefs.
• Shortlisted applicants of Christian belief were 1.27 times more likely to be successful than those of other religions or beliefs. 

Apprenticeships

• 46.6% (124) of employees on apprenticeships (266) have religious beliefs, this is below the organisational percentage (53.1%).
• 43.6% (116) of employees on apprenticeships were Christian which is below the workforce percentage (49.6%) and fewer than 10 have other religious beliefs which is within 1% of the workforce percentage (3.5%).

Formal HR processes

• There were 40 formal disciplinary cases in total and 57.5% (23) of cases involved employees with Christian beliefs, this is higher than the workforce percentage (49.6%).
• There were fewer than 10 disciplinary cases involving employees of other religions or beliefs.
• There were 21 formal grievances cases in total and 52.38% (11) of cases were raised by employees with Christian beliefs this is higher than the workforce percentage (49.6%).
• There were fewer than 10 grievance cases raised by employees of other religions or beliefs.
• There were no formal grievances relating to bullying and harassment raised by employees of other religions or beliefs.
• There were 15 formal capability cases in total and 73.3% (11) of these involved employees with Christian beliefs this is higher than the workforce percentage (49.6%).
• There were no formal capability cases involving employees of other religions or beliefs.

Leavers

• 50.1% (340) of leavers (678) had religious beliefs which includes 41.9% (284) resignations and 8.3% (56) dismissals.
• 47.6% (323) of leavers were Christian.
• 2.7% (18) of leavers had other religious beliefs.
• 30.4% (206) of leavers had no religion.
• Employees with no religious beliefs were 1.2 times more likely to resign than those with religious beliefs.
• Employees with religious beliefs were 1.4 times more likely to be dismissed than those with no religious beliefs.
• Employees with Christian religious beliefs were 1.3 times more likely to be dismissed and 1.3 times more likely to resign than employees with other beliefs.

Sex

• 68.0% (3742) of the workforce are female.
• 32.0% (1758) are male.
• 37.0% (2032) of employees work part-time, which is higher than the 2021 census figure which is 29.9% of workers.
• Part-time employees have increased from 32.59% (1742) of the workforce in 2020 to the current figure of 37.0% (2032).
• Most part-time employees are female (1374) compared to male (658).
• Fewer than 10 or 3.6% of employees on salaries equivalent to G13 and above work part-time compared to 38.8% (2026) of employees on salaries equivalent to G12 and below.

Pay

There was a total of 5,208 employees in scope of the Gender Pay Gap calculations for 31 March 2023. 

3,551 (68%) of these were female and 1,657 (32%) were male.  

• The 2023 gender pay gap:
  • The mean hourly rate for males is £18.07 and females is £17.44.
  • The mean gender pay gap is 3.5%.
  • The median hourly rate for males is £16.55 and females is £16.11.
  • The median gender pay gap is 2.7%.

The UK national median gender pay gap for all employees, calculated by the Office for National Statistics, is 14.3%.

Quartile pay bands

The workforce is split into four equal parts and that the proportions of male and female employees in each quartile are shown as:

• Female employees account for 68.5% (3596) of the workforce on salaries equivalent to G12 and below (5223). 
• Female employees account for 59.9% (166) of the workforce on salaries equivalent to grades G13 and above (277).

Recruitment

• 66.6% (7724) of job applicants (11604) were female.
• 68.4% (2628) of shortlisted applicants (3844) were female.
• 76.6% (896) of successful applicants (1170) were female.
• Female applicants were 1.09 times more likely to be shortlisted than a male applicant.
• Once shortlisted, female applicants were 1.5 times more likely to be successful in the recruitment process.

Apprenticeships

• 75.6% (201) of employees on apprenticeships (266) were female.

Formal HR processes

• Men accounted for 67.5% (27) of the workforce who were subject to a formal disciplinary process (40).
• Men were 4.4 times more likely than women to be subject to a formal disciplinary process.
• Men accounted for 66.7% of the workforce who raised a grievance (21).
• Men were 1.9 times more likely than women to raise a grievance.
• Of the 15 cases, more than 66% or 10 women were subject to a capability process.  Women were more likely to be subject to a formal capability process than men. 

Employee survey

The figures and percentages can be found in the Employee survey section.

• Male respondents accounted for 25.3% (605) of the workforce who participated in the survey (2395).
• Male respondents were:
  • more likely to say they feel supported by their manager
  • less likely to say they have fair opportunity to progress in their career
  • less likely to say they have regular one to one meetings
  • less likely to say they maintain a good level of resilience and wellbeing
• Female respondents were less likely to feel supported when dealing with abuse from colleagues or the public.

Leavers

• Men accounted for 33.5% (227) of all leavers (678) in 2022-2023 which is within 2% of the proportion of men in the workforce (32.0%).
• Men accounted for 28.7% (33) dismissals and 34.4% (191) resignations.
• Women were 1.2 times more likely to be dismissed.
• Men and women were just as likely as each other to resign.
• In the year 2022 to 2023 women were 1.5 times more likely to be made redundant.

Sexual orientation

We hold sexual orientation data for 75.1% (4,129) of our employees. This has been increasing slowly year on year from 67.7% (3,553) in 2019.  

2.9% (158) of employees have shared that they are LGBTQ, this has increased from 2.2% (116) in 2022.

Recruitment

• The number of job applicants (11604) declaring their sexual orientation is 78.9% (9,159). This is a reduction from 2021 – 2022 when 90.7% (9571) applicants shared this information.
• 6.2% (721) of job applicants (11604) were LGBTQ.
• 5.6% (216) of shortlisted applicants (3844) were LGBTQ.
• 4.0% (47) of successful applicants (1170) were LGBTQ.
• Heterosexual applicants were 1.07 times more likely to be shortlisted than LGBTQ applicants. 
• Once shortlisted heterosexual applicants were 1.4 times more likely to be successful than LGBTQ applicants.
• This is an increase from 2021-2022, however the reduction in the number of applicants sharing their sexual orientation could have affected the data. 19.3% (226) of applicants who were successful in the recruitment process, chose not to share their sexual orientation.

Apprenticeships

• Fewer than 10 of the 266 employees on apprenticeships were LGBTQ. The actual percentage is an increase from 2022 but is below the workforce percentage (2.9%).

This shows an underrepresentation.  However, increasing the information held on employee's sexual orientation would help confirm whether this is an issue.

Formal HR processes

• There were no formal disciplinary cases (40) involving employees who shared their sexuality as LGBTQ
• There were no grievance cases with employees who had declared their sexuality other than heterosexual
• There were fewer than 10 capability cases (15) involving employees who shared their sexuality as LGBTQ. The percentage of cases was greater than the percentage representation in the workforce (2.9%)

Gender reassignment

We do not monitor the number of employees who are transitioning or who have transitioned. From 1 April 2023 we will have the facility to record the gender identity of job applicants and employees these options include ‘trans man’ and ‘trans woman’ in line with the 2021 census categories. We have transitioning at work guidance as part of a commitment to ensure an environment where transgender employees feel safe in being open about their gender identity. The guidance aims to:

• aid managers in supporting potential and existing employees undergoing gender reassignment
• provide good practice and highlight areas that may need to be considered when an individual is going through the process of gender reassignment 
• ensure the fair treatment of potential and existing employees

Pay and grading

For details of our pay policy read our annual pay policy statement.

We have a job evaluation scheme (Greater London Provincial Council - job evaluation scheme) in place to grade jobs from Grade 1 to Grade 16. This ensures we comply with the requirements of equal pay (equal pay for work of equal value) as jobs are objectively assessed and graded according to the same criteria. The job evaluation scheme is used to evaluate those posts which are covered by NJC (National Joint Council) for Local Government Services terms and conditions of employment. These posts all have a GLPC grade. This covers 82.8% (4,555) of our employees (5,500).

The highest percentages of employees on the GLPC grades (4,555) fall into Grade 3 (14.4% or 656) and Grade 7 (17.83% or 812).

Grades 3 and 11 have the highest difference in percentage comparing females to males:  

• G3 has 81.7% (536) females to 18.3% (120) males
• G11 has 80.7% (205) females to 19.3% (49) males

At Grade 13 the percentage of females is 76.2% (48 of 63). 

This is more reflective of the split between males and females in the workforce profile.  It is most evident in children's services and adult care and community wellbeing where the majority of team manager and area manager roles are occupied by females.

At the three top grades G14, G15 and G16 there are 67 employees and in each of these grades the percentage of males is higher.  In these grades there are 44.8% (30) females to 55.2% (37) males

We also have senior leadership pay for those managers above GLPC grade 16. There are 45 managers (0.8% of the workforce) who are on the three senior leadership grades A, B and C, and Chief officer pay, in these grades there are 62.2% (28) females and 37.8% (17) males. 

Gender pay gap 2023

In accordance with the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, we are required to publish statutory gender pay gap information by 31 March each year. This information is published on both our website (gender pay gap data) and, as required by legislation, on the Government website for gender pay gap information (Gov.uk - gender pay gap data).

The gender pay gap data does not highlight any specific issues at Lincolnshire County Council, as at end of March 2023 the median gender pay gap was 2.7% and remained considerably below the national average reported in 2022 of 14.9%. 

This report includes the first report of Disability and Ethnicity pay gaps.