Average pay for people in one Suffolk district has fallen by more than £1,000 in just 12 months, it has emerged.

Data provided by Nomis - the official labour market branch of the Office for National Statistics - revealed that all of Suffolk's districts had seen an increase in average gross pay, except for the Babergh and Suffolk Coastal areas.

Suffolk Coastal's had dropped by 1.4% between 2017 and 2018 - around £400, but Babergh had fallen by 3.8% - £1,173 less per year.

Both areas still remained the top two with the highest average pay in Suffolk however, with £30,703 and £29,913 average annual salaries respectively.

Babergh District Council leader John Ward said the council had not seen an impact in terms of additional demand for housing benefits for council homes, but would need to monitor the situation.

East Anglian Daily Times: John Ward said he would continue to monitor the situation to ensure it wasn't a trend. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNJohn Ward said he would continue to monitor the situation to ensure it wasn't a trend. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant)

"As far as we can see the numbers are disappointing and clearly reflect the fact we do a have a lot of people in minimum wage or living wage [jobs]," he said.

"One of our key aims is to try and upskill and increase the average right across the district.

"We are still the second highest in the context of the county.

"We are mindful of it and we will do as much as we can in our economic development policy but it's not going to change much in the way we operate as a council.

"We shouldn't be complacent but I don't think it will have an impact on our housing benefit claimants [numbers] or anything."

The former Waveney district area had seen a 4.3% increase up to £24,977 average, but remained the area of Suffolk with the lowest pay.

Mid Suffolk meanwhile experienced a rise of more than £1,000 in gross annual earnings - up 5.8% on a year earlier.

Analysis of the data prepared in a report for Suffolk County Council's scrutiny committee suggested that the county as a whole had experienced a rise of around 1.5%, compared with the 2.5% rise nationally and regionally.

The report said: "This lower increase in Suffolk is almost certainly attributable to and influenced by the low wage economy in some parts of Suffolk.

"Figures published by the Low Pay Commission, show that Suffolk continues to have an issue with low wages across some districts who have comparatively high proportions of working age people on national minimum wage or national living wage."