Union leaders met on Tuesday to discuss possible strike action by council workers.

They want the present London weighting payments - which range from £1,407 to £2,646 a year - to increase to £4,000.

The Transport and General Workers' union, Unison and the GMB are setting up a Joint Union Strike Committee to plan industrial action to back the claim.

Workers such as dinner ladies, street cleaners and classroom assistants - who are paid as little as £9,000 a year - say they can't afford to live in London any longer.

The new plans follow a national strike in July after which the lowest paid received a 10.9per cent pay rise. This strike effected many social services departments throughout the country.