‘Liberal Democrat councillors in Bury have accused the Government of ‘Half truths and less than half the cash’ after it emerged that the Government is giving the NHS less than half of the £10 billion it pledged before last year’s General Election.

Parliament’s own Health Committee has written to the Conservative chancellor to say claiming the Government is giving £10billion gives the “false impression that the NHS is awash with cash”.

The group said that, far from the £10 billion promised the actual figure was closer to £4 billion.

The cross party Health Committee says a substantial part of the extra funding for the NHS comes from cuts to other areas, such as public health.

Local Campaigner Councillor Tim Pickstone said: The NHS is vital and it must be funded properly. Local residents will be really angry that the Government are trying to pull the wool over their eyes again. It is time local Conservatives apologised ñ this is one trick too many.

With winter on its way our NHS is heading for a crisis and local residents must demand that the Government stops with the cutbacks and instead concentrates on fixing the serious problems before it ís too late.

The intervention comes as a poll found almost half of NHS authorities are planning to cut hospital beds while a third have proposals to close or downgrade accident and emergency departments.