A COUNCILLOR has slammed the Government for hitting poorer council areas even harder.

Calderdale’s Clr Barry Collins says local authorities with greater need are receiving less funding per head than the Prime Minister’s own constituency.

And he says there are greater levels of need in places like Calderdale than in David Cameron’s Oxfordshire constituency of Whitney.

The Calderdale Cabinet member for economy and environment spoke of his anger as the authority unveiled its draft budget for the coming years. It reveals plans for cuts of £21.6m by 2016.

Clr Collins said: “The sheer unfairness of the cuts between local authorities and the way it’s impacting on Calderdale and other places speaks volumes of the Tories.

“As a general point the local authority that has got the highest number of young people claiming benefits and highest percentage of children living in poverty is Manchester.

“Per head of population their cut is six times bigger than it is in the PM’s constituency yet Manchester has five times the number of children in child poverty.”

He said Calderdale was also being hit by the cuts.

“In Calderdale we’re getting cuts of £130.9 per head of population compared to the same average in West Oxfordshire of £59.49 per head – the cuts are two and a half times bigger in Calderdale.

“That is absurd, there can be no reason for such disparity and unfairness. We are trying to defend frontline services, but it’s not being made easy for us”.