A study by the Labour Party comparing Government cuts in Bradford to those in a small town of the same name in Wiltshire has been branded ‘meaningless’.

The comparison between a city district with a population of more than 520,000, and picturesque Bradford on Avon, which has a population of about 9,300, has been likened to comparing apples and oranges.

Labour points out that Bradford has been hit twice as hard as its Wiltshire namesake, despite being officially indexed as having massively higher levels of deprivation.

The party said a “staggering” £571 is being lost per head in Bradford, compared to £268 per head in Bradford on Avon, which it argues proves the country is not all in it together.

Labour analysed data from two studies – one by Sheffield Hallam University looking at the impact per head on the welfare reforms which came into effect this month, and one by Newcastle City Council which compiled the total local authority cuts per head.

The Government’s Deprivation Index rates Bradford at 26 – making it the second-most deprived area in Yorkshire behind only Hull – compared to Wiltshire Unitary Authority, where Bradford on Avon is, which is rated 245.

Gerry Sutcliffe, Labour MP for Bradford South, said: “David Cameron and George Osborne are looking out for people in the affluent Tory heartlands of the south while making people in constituencies like mine foot the bill for their cuts and economic failure.

“These figures expose how unfair and damaging this Government’s failed economic strategy is. It cannot be right that some of the most deprived areas are being hit more than twice as hard than some of the richest parts of the country. So much for their claim that we’re all in this together.”

But Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, poured scorn on Labour’s analysis. He said: “These are meaningless figures because Bradford on Avon will be receiving much less per head than Bradford in West Yorkshire, so of course the amount cut per head will be less as well.

“Using these distorted figures does not address the issue that all of these cuts have been forced on the Government by the irresponsible overspending by the last Labour government. Rather than using this kind of pathetic spin, a simple humble apology from the Labour Party for causing this mess would be much more useful and appropriate.”

Councillor Glen Miller, leader of the Tory group on Bradford Council, added: “Yet again, an attempt by a poorly-led Labour group to blame others for their misgivings. “You cannot compare apples to oranges, as they are attempting to do. It is about time they grew up and showed the leadership for the district that the electorate has given them.

“It is just smoke and mirrors.”

The Council’s Labour leader Councillor David Green backed the survey. “It confirms that the cuts have not been evenly distributed,” he said.