AN MP has slammed Government cuts in Wirral Council's spending power saying nearby Tory-voting areas have been let off the hook.

Wirral South MP Alison McGovern said Wirral bears an unfair share of the cuts unveiled by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles on Monday.

It was announced Wirral will lose 7.42% of its budget next year, compared with an England-wide average of 4.4%.

The cuts mean that locally there will be £25.9m less available next year to spend on services such as road maintenance, social services, libraries and sports centres.

Miss McGovern branded the cuts "utterly unfair."

She said Merseyside councils will suffer the most, despite having some of the poorest wards in England.

Councils in Cheshire have escaped most of the pain, with Cheshire East experiencing cuts of just 1.63% - four-and-a-half times smaller than Wirral.

Miss McGovern said: "The Tory LibDem Government are wrecking havoc with our economy. The Chancellor represents the constituency of Tatton – a mere 30 miles away.

"But these cuts show that he might as well be a million miles away for his lack of understanding of the difference in effect they will have on our localities.

"The impact of this doesn't stop at the town hall. Small businesses will suffer, as will residents.

"Less roads repaired, less potholes fixed, libraries and cultural services at risk and fewer will find the council able to help with their social care."

Wirral Council leader Cllr Jeff Green said: "Every part of the public sector needs to do its bit to help reduce Labour's legacy of debt and the massive overdraft they left the nation and local councils are no exception.

"I am pleased the coalition Government has safeguarded funding for some of the most vulnerable people that councils help and that additional help is being offered to help us keep council tax bills down.

"Locally, since the election, the Conservative - Liberal Democrat administration has worked hard to protect frontline services by reducing the money spent on admin and red tape, improving value for money in what we buy and being more open about what we do to help the public to see how their money could be better spent.

"We are also doing all we can to get people back into work - either through a massive expansion of the apprenticeship programme to support private sector employers - or to attract new investors into the borough.

"I am also a little disappointed that Ms McGovern continues to peddle the myth that Wirral's libraries are at risk."