PEOPLE living in Blackburn with Darwen have had their services slashed by four times as much as in the neighbouring Ribble Valley, it has been revealed.

Figures show the cuts councils for each resident, revealing huge differences affecting households a stone’s throw apart.

The table was compiled by the Labour Party, and a spokesman for shadow Communities Secretary Caroline Flint insisted it was based on official Government figures.

It takes into account Lancashire’s council system, where unitary authority Blackburn with Darwen is separate from the control of the county council, while Lancashire County Council itself has a two-tier system.

Labour's figures estimate for the first time the overall impact for each taxpayer of the cuts.

They show that for each person living in Blackburn or Darwen, the council’s budget has been cut by £128.94.

That made Blackburn with Darwen the 10th worst affected area out of more than 300 across the country.

In Burnley, the council’s budget has been cut by £93 per head.

Hyndburn's budget is being cut by £77 per taxpayer, Pendle by £75 and Rossendale by £42.

Across the border in the wealthy Ribble Valley, ‘spending power’ has been reduced by only £31.02.

Nationally, East Dorset residents, who have among the highest life expectancies in the UK, lost just £2 per head.

But the Government’s Department for Communities and Local Government said it did not recognise the figures.

And Burnley Council’s Liberal Democrats insisted an extra £1.3million secured from the Government meant the borough’s concerns had been ‘listened to’.

Labour say the massive difference is because of millions of pounds of grants to areas like Blackburn with Darwen in recent years to tackle deprivation issues like homelessness, unemployment and teenage pregnancy.

These have now been stopped, and the money put back into the total pot before being distributed between councils.

Damian Talbot, chairman of Blackburn Labour Party, said: “This money came to Blackburn with Darwen Council because it’s a deprived area and it is to stimulate the economy.

“This just shows the Tories are punishing deprived areas and protecting their seats.”

Coun Ken Hind, senior vice chairman of Ribble Valley Conservatives, said his council had been able to protect front-line services by ‘prudent management’ and management restructures.

He said: “There are two types of council. Those that innovate, and those that rely on handouts.

“Sadly, too many Labour-controlled councils are what I would call handout organisations.”