DAVID CAMERON began a tour of north-west England yesterday promising jobs and prosperity — while Manchester City Council discussed which services to axe.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chancellor George Osborne at the launch of his so-called Northern powerhouse tour and spoke at a conference attended by invitation-only guests from the north-western English business community and the region’s Tory supporters.

Mr Cameron pledged to make Mancunians “£2,000 a year better-off in real terms.”

But austerity has already left Manchester residents more than £2,000 a year poorer and there’s worse to come as the coalition government’s austerity programme continues to bite.

“David Cameron has a cheek visiting Manchester and proclaiming his support for the north on the same day Manchester City Council is announcing further drastic cuts to their budget as a result of the unfair local government finance settlement,” blasted Labour Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell.

“People will not be fooled by the Prime Minister’s weasel words when the city has paid a heavy price for his failed economic plan.”

She pointed out that living standards have fallen across Manchester on Mr Cameron’s watch. Since 2010 families in full-time work in north-west England have got £2,202 worse off as prices have risen and wages have fallen.

Thousands of families have been forced to use foodbanks every month because of policies like the bedroom tax and the number of people on zero-hours contracts has rocketed with people finding it harder and harder to make ends meet, Ms Powell said.