Cameron 'out of touch' says Middlesbrough mayor Mallon

Ray Mallon said spending cuts would make it difficult to tackle poverty in Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough mayor Ray Mallon has accused the coalition government of issuing a "financial declaration of war" on north-east England.

Mr Mallon claimed Prime Minister David Cameron was out of touch with how upcoming spending cuts would hit poor neighbourhoods on Teesside.

But Conservative MP for neighbouring Stockton South, James Wharton, said the government's spending cuts were fair.

Middlesbrough Council has to make savings of £45m over four years.

Mr Mallon urged ministers to "start listening" to pleas from the region.

Speaking on the Politics Show on BBC One, Mr Mallon, who is an Independent mayor, said: "It's almost like we have a financial declaration of war on this area.

"David Cameron has said to me personally that the coalition government has to be seen to love the North East and show empathy.

"But I see no empathy or sensitivity to the situation we are in.

"I want to see this government start listening. They have been in power for six months and they are not listening to anybody."

Mr Mallon said he wanted the government to reconsider the scale of cuts to be imposed on Middlesbrough, which he said would hit poor neighbourhoods the hardest.

Extra help

A recent BBC survey found that Middlesbrough was the least resilient area in the UK.

The town has 23 council wards, 16 of which are socially deprived. Five are in the top 1% of the greatest socially deprived in the country.

But Mr Wharton said the government was giving the North East extra help to allow the private sector to grow.

He said council cuts were being applied in percentage terms equally across the country and that the North East was losing no more than other parts of the country.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles told the Politics Show he would look to see what he could do to help councils which have lost funding from funds to help poor neighbourhoods.

Chancellor George Osborne has defended the government's spending cuts of £81bn over four years, saying they will put the economy on a stable footing.