At an average of £19.85 per hour for women, Brentwood has been ranked as the number one town in the country for gender equal pay.

This comes after a report on BBC Woman's Hour - called The Best Places in Britain for Women - ranked the Essex town in the top spot for women's income.

The gender pay cap in Brentwood is only 1 per cent, which is low compared Sedgemoor - which ranked lowest with a 48 per cent pay gap between men and women.

Women, on average, also get paid more than £10 an hour than women in Sedgemoor.

Brentwood Borough Council Leader, Louise McKinlay said: “I’m thrilled to see Brentwood leading Great Britain on women’s pay but to be top in terms of closing the Gender Pay Gap is incredibly significant. Brentwood’s 1% pay gap is now the game changer for all other areas across the country and put the borough at the top of the national debate on these two major issues.

The impact is huge for women, but also for society overall. We need women to be equalized to create balanced and sustainable households, workforces, entrepreneurialship and families. Brentwood has always been a much sought after location for commuters, schools, and business and this news has not only recognized this but put Brentwood at the front of the national agenda for women.

“Just 17% of council leaders in the UK are women, and I am proud to be one of this minority particularly in such a great place as Brentwood. There is much work to do for women still, but we are already making inroads.”