London Borough of Hackney has more ethnic minority staff among its high earners than any other council

At the other end of the scale, at North East Lincolnshire, York and West Berkshire councils, none of the top 5% of earners is from ethnic minority communities.

Kamaljeet Jandu, GMB national equality and inclusion officer, said: "We believe employers should reflect the make-up of local communities.

"GMB commend those local councils that have achieved this at the highest pay level in their organisations as a commitment to equality and progress. There are lessons here for employers in the public and private sectors who have not acknowledged this and made progress. Appointments and promotion should be based on merit to achieve this objective."

Waltham Forest Council rated high on the list with 24% of the top 5% of earners coming from ethnic minorities and 23.5% of Lambeth Council's high earners were from minority communities.