THE Cabinet Office has said it will look at a letter claiming that Prime Minister David Cameron breached the ministerial code after he offered the help of Downing Street advisers to Oxfordshire County Council.

In an exchange of letters – revealed by the Oxford Mail last Friday – the Witney MP told county council leader Ian Hudspeth he would be “happy to initiate dialogue with advisers in the No 10 policy unit and yourself”.

This was after he criticised the local authority for its “unwelcome and counterproductive” proposals to save cash by closing children’s centres and mobile libraries, and said cost-cutting could be done “in a more creative manner”.

In response, Mr Hudspeth said he would take up the Prime Minister’s offer “as quickly as possible”. The county council has not confirmed whether a meeting has taken place yet.

The Prime Minister’s intervention led Shadow Minister without portfolio Jon Ashworth to write to Sir Jeremy Heywood, the most senior civil servant and Cabinet Secretary, asking whether the ministerial code had been broken.

The code says ministers must not use government facilities “for party or constituency activities”.

Mr Ashworth told the Oxford Mail: “This looks to me like a clear breach, but the judgement will have to come from Sir Jeremy.

“You are not allowed to use your ministerial office to the advantage of your own constituency and – to be frank – as far as I am aware, the Prime Minister has certainly not also invited my local council or others in the country to visit the No 10 policy unit.

“It is one thing for him to com- plain as MP for Witney to his local council leader about cuts, in the way he has. But, given it is he and George Osborne who are respon- sible for the cuts which councils across the land are grappling with, it is just hypocrisy.”

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: “We have received the letter and will look into the matter.”

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Government regularly speaks to council leaders on local government issues. For example, we have been discussing devolut- ion deals with councils from across the political spectrum.”