Just four councils out of 33 are implementing Mayor Boris Johnson's 'London Living Wage'.

The voluntary increased minimum wage of £7.45 an hour has long been trumped by City Hall as a fair reflection of the cost of living and working in London.

Unions agree that the £5.73 national minimum wage is not enough to ensure a 'living wage' in the capital.

However, local authorities both Tory and Labour seem to disagree.

Green survey

The embarrassing figures were uncovered through a survey by Green Party member of the London Assembly, Darren Johnson. It found only Ealing, Lewisham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets paid the sum to their staff - all but Ealing also apply it to contractors.

Darren Johnson said:

"It is a disgrace that only a few London councils have policies that safeguard their employees from poverty wages.

"I will be calling on the Mayor to encourage local London councils to implement a Living Wage policy for all their workers."

But a spokesman for London Councils which represents the 32 boroughs said:

"Introducing the London Living Wage in organisations as structurally and politically complex as a London borough is a major undertaking."

Hundreds are expected to lose their council jobs across the city as the recession begins to bite - a separate survey revealed that last year 400 council workers in London earned more than £100,000.