CHURCH of England parishes are free to pay their staff what they want even if it is below the minimum “Living Wage”, the Diocese of Durham has admitted.

A number of Church of England bishops recently penned an open letter backing £7.85 as the lowest hourly salary rate for British workers, a 20 per cent rise on the national minimum wage.

But Conservative MPs have accused the Church of hypocrisy after it was revealed some churches were advertising jobs at rates below this.

The Sun newspaper said the Diocese of York had advertised for a pastoral worker in Pickering, North Yorkshire, who would be paid £7.65 – 20p short of the so-called Living Wage.

The job posting is no longer available to view on the diocese website.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Durham said: "All Durham Diocese Board of Finance employees are paid at or above the Living Wage and through the Board of Education we advise and encourage our CofE schools to do the same.

“Parishes are separate entities and therefore employ their own staff and set their own rates of pay.

“Where we are asked for advice and support by parishes, we encourage them to pay the Living Wage.”

Conservative MP Nadine Dorries said the published letter was a “political crusade on behalf of a clique of elite left-wing bishops”.

Her Tory colleague Charlie Elphicke added: “It’s astonishing that the Church of England can call for the Living Wage to be paid by employers but don’t pay it themselves.”

Today, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby described the situation as "embarrassing" but said the church is "getting there as quickly as we can".

He added: "Canterbury is moving very, very aggressively towards paying the living wage as soon as it can."