Disabled Nottingham City Council staff paid the same or better than non-disabled colleagues

Disabled employees make up 6 per cent of the council’s workforce, with slightly higher representation in higher-paid posts.

This accounts for the average pay gap among disabled middle earners being minus 5.8 per cent, meaning they are paid just under £1.06 for every £1 earned by non-disabled middle earners.

Across the whole council, staff with disabilities earn an average of £1.02 for every £1 earned by non-disabled colleagues – a pay gap of minus two per cent.

These latest figures follow on from a report last month which showed that female staff earn on average what men working for the authority are paid.

Coun Neghat Khan, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods, safety and inclusion, said: "This report reflects our strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

"While this is encouraging, we are committed to doing more to ensure disability equality and are undertaking a programme of work to help staff and managers improve their own practice around inclusion and accessibility.”

Mel Barrett, the council’s chief executive, said: “Although this is a positive reflection on the council’s approach, we have committed to further improving our status as a disability confident employer, aiming to achieve leader status under the disability confident scheme.

“We will also be continuing to assess and respond to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on employees with a disability in our workforce, particularly as we transition back into the workplace and adopt more hybrid ways of working.

"We want to ensure that we have an inclusive and supportive environment, where all staff can thrive and that employees get individualised support where needed.”

He added that the council was working towards becoming a sector leader in inclusive practice generally and as part of this, the council would also publish its ethnicity pay gap in the coming months.