A large Herefordshire employer says it is working to address the unusually high gap between what it pays male and female employees.

The Wye Valley NHS Trust, which runs Hereford County Hospital as well as community health services in and around Herefordshire, has a gender pay gap of 21 per cent – that is, the median, or middle value within its employees of each gender, is 21 per cent higher for men than for women.

This compares to an average for all types of employment in the West Midlands of 15.4 per cent.

A Wye Valley Trust spokesperson said: “In the last 12 months, the trust has reduced the pay gap from 22 per cent in 2021/22 to 21 per cent in this current financial year. This reflects the increased hourly rates of pay for both male and female workforce at the trust.

“We are committed to ensuring an equitable workforce and building on our inclusive recruitment practices. This includes encouraging more women to progress into senior leadership roles.”

Herefordshire Council said its gender pay gap is 13.9 per cent – slightly below the UK public sector average of 14.9 per cent, but well above neighbouring authorities Gloucestershire (3.2 per cent), Powys (7.4 per cent) and Worcestershire (9.7 per cent).

Herefordshire Council also cited the WVT figure and that for West Mercia Police, which it put at 19.2 per cent, as examples of local public sector employers where the gap is larger.

But the force’s director of business services, Assistant Chief Officer Rachel Hartland Lane, said that a soon-to-be-published report will show its median pay gap for last year was down to 13.3 per cent.

“We acknowledge there are areas, particularly underrepresentation at senior ranks and grades, where improvement is needed, and are working hard to address this,” she said.