Residents living in England's most deprived areas were hit hardest by the largest local authority spending cuts during a decade of austerity, a think-tank has found.

A new report from the Institute for Government (IfG) revealed how grant cuts and the rising demand for social care shrunk the scope of local government in England.

The IfG found the most grant-dependent and deprived areas such as Birmingham, Lambeth and Salford were more likely to make deeper cuts to neighbourhood services.

For example, deprived areas were more likely to report reductions in bus routes and libraries.

The think-tank added the Government lacks information on two-thirds of neighbourhood services spending.