Ethnic diversity in local authority leadership is so low it ‘defies analysis’, according to new research into diversity in the workplace.

The Green Park Public Service Leadership 5,000 survey, published by Green Park, found women and ethnic minorities remain ‘significantly’ under-represented in the public sector at board and leadership level. It also found that many public bodies are less diverse than FTSE 100 private companies despite a legal obligation to promote equality and diversity in the workplace.

The survey found there is just one non-white local authority in London, and none amongst the eight Core Cities. It also there are virtually no employees of Black or Chinese/Other Asian origin in the top four grades within the civil service, with the Department for Communities and Local Government among the worse for ethnic diversity in leadership roles.

The survey also revealed the women are more likely to secure a job at senior level in county councils rather than urban authorities. While women are more likely to secure top positions in children’s services, they are still under-represented in roles such as chief officer or finance.

Trevor Phillips, chair of Green Park Diversity Analytics, said: ‘While our research does find some encouraging trends, such as the presence of women at senior roles in non-urban local authorities, other areas are much more disappointing. However, the top levels of the public sector are even more “vanilla” than the senior levels of the UK’s top private sector companies. Bizarrely, London, the most diverse area of the country with a 40% non-White population, shows a less diverse local authority leadership than the FTSE.

‘It raises some serious questions for us if the leadership of public bodies looks less like Britain than private companies which are answerable only to their shareholders. How long will a diverse society put up with white men trousering more than their fair share of our taxes?’