COLCHESTER MP Bob Russell quizzed the Prime Minister on fears charities were suffering unduly by cuts to council budgets.

The Lib Dem warned David Cameron that some councils and health trusts were undermining voluntary organisations by slashing their funding.

He said: "A characteristic of the British way of life is its charities and its voluntary organisations.

"Do you share my concern that some local authorities and some health trusts are using the perceived cuts as an excuse to make cuts, thus undermining voluntary organisations and charities with the Big Society context?"

Mr Cameron health budgets were going up and that voluntary groups were being protected.

But he added: "In terms of local government, yes there are reductions in spending - as there would be frankly whoever was standing at this despatch box.

"But I would urge local authorities to look first at their own costs. It's only when they can show they are sharing chief executives, they're cutting out their own bureaucracies, they can then show they need to make reductions elsewhere.

"And in some cases, they're not yet being convincing."