91Èȱ¬

The City of Edinburgh Council has said it will attempt to reduce its gender pay gap, after it was revealed men were paid more than women by the authority.

The city council has a gender pay gap of 5% for all staff - while the void is more than 20% for part time employees.

About 70% of council staff are women, earning an average hourly rate of £12.79. Their male counterparts are paid an average of £13.47 an hour.

The gap is the difference between the hourly wage men and women earn.

Figures have to be published by employers of more than 250 people.

Alasdair Rankin, City of Edinburgh Council's finance and resources convener, said: "The overall gender pay gap is relatively low at the council but we acknowledge that more needs to be done.

"We need to ensure that our employees succeed based on their skills, knowledge and behaviour and that we're agile and diverse so we can deliver the broad range of services we provide to our community.

"We want our employees to be able to take real ownership of their careers and ensure that recognition and reward are not gender-related."

The gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay.

Equal pay is the equal payment of men and women for undertaking the same work, a legal requirement.