Brent Council said it will do “all it can” to tackle pay inequality between men and women, and between white and ethnic minority employees.

Council reports showed that in 2018 white employees were paid, on average, around 17 per cent more than those from other backgrounds.

And, despite black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) groups making up two-thirds of the council’s workforce, the majority of those in the top pay quartile are white.

BAME employees did achieve more promotions across the 12 months before the data was collected, including in all but one department in the upper quartile.

Cllr Margaret McLennan, deputy leader of Brent Council, said it must “make sure that there is equality across the board”.

She was supported by the council’s head of human resources, Martin Williams, who said these stats were particularly important in a “diverse borough” like Brent.

He added there will be a campaign to encourage more employees to disclose their ethnicity – in this data, almost four in ten chose not to say – to obtain a more accurate picture of the situation.

In terms of gender, the committee said there must be a commitment to eradicate the overall difference in pay between men and women.

For 2018, men at the council were paid, on average, around eight per cent more than women.

Mr Williams said the council will do “all it can to close the gender pay gap and get it down to zero”.

He noted there will be a push to ensure that both groups receive the same starting salaries since there is “anecdotal evidence” that men ask for more money than women.

And he highlighted the fact that, despite there being more female employees in all pay quartiles, the highest proportion of male employees is in the top category.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, said it was important to publish both sets of data – which is a statutory requirement for gender – to ensure “transparency”.