Buckinghamshire’s fire service has insisted it is “committed to diversity” after it was revealed women get paid, on average, 10 per cent less than men in the force.

District council executives have also been forced to defend their attitudes to equality, as figures show a higher percentage of women are in the lowest paid jobs, compared with men.

A report published by Bucks Fire and Rescue states that women’s median hourly pay rate is 10.61 per cent lower than men – meaning women earn, on average, 81 per cent of male earnings.

Its mean (average) pay gap of 19 per cent is higher than the national average of 18.1 per cent – however Bucks Fire and Rescue blames the higher figure on “lower representation of females” within the workforce.

Attitude and culture, confidence, a lack of role models and family and childcare commitments are all also to blame the pay gap, according to the fire service.

Companies and public sector bodies with more than 250 employees have until the end of the month to report their average pay gaps and the percentage of men and women in the highest and lowest paid jobs, under Government rules enforced last year.

The gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay – as it has been illegal for decades for men and women to be paid different salaries for doing the same job.

Companies with a gender pay gap are not breaking the law, however the Government is calling organisations and public bodies to act in order to reduce the difference in pay between genders.

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service’s director of people and organisational development, Lynne Swift, said: “We have been working very hard to ensure that there are no organisational barriers and are actively engaging with all of our staff to provide support and opportunities for all.

“We are committed to working towards attracting, developing and retaining a more diverse workforce and to reducing the gender pay gap further.”

According to the Government website, Chiltern District Council’s (CDC) median hourly pay rate for women is 21.9 percent less than men, and figures for the workforce at South Bucks District Council (SBDC) show the median hourly pay rate for women is 10.4 per cent lower than men.

Chief executive at CDC at SBDC, Bob Smith, said: “We are committed to inclusivity, diversity and equality at Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils, and closing the gender pay gap is an important part of this.

“Although we pay men and women equally for doing the same job, we currently have a greater proportion of men than women in senior roles, and more women than men in lower grade roles, which creates a gender pay gap.

“We are working hard to address this imbalance through recruitment, offering flexible working and fostering an inclusive culture.”

Women’s median hourly pay rate at Wycombe District Council (WDC) is 10.8 per cent lower than the men's.

Spokesman for WDC, Shauna Hichens, said: “Wycombe District Council recruits on ability. Jobs are formally graded and pay is set according to that grade, regardless of the gender of the jobholder.

 “We have talented women at all levels of the council, and our top two staff members – the Chief Executive and Corporate Director – are both women.

"At head of service level there are currently more women than men. Again, they were appointed on merit, not gender.”