Hundreds of Mancunians are expected to gather outside the town hall tonight to tweet an anti-cuts message of defiance to David Cameron.

The demonstration - hash-tagged #manvcam - will see protesters hold their smart phone lights aloft in a show of solidarity inspired by pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Labour organisers say they want a better deal for Manchester after five years of unfair cuts.

Among those speaking will be Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder.

Demonstrators are gathering at 5.30pm in Albert Square, with two mass tweets planned for 6pm and 6.30pm.

Everyone - including people not actually at the rally - is being asked to tweet their anti-cuts message in unison with the hash-tag #ManvCam, in their own version of a Twitter ‘thunderclap.’

As well as Labour sympathisers, organisers hope to draw in a wider group of frustrated citizens, charities and community groups.

Funding to Manchester and Surrey Manchester Loses 5pc Surrey GAINS 3.2pc

They argue that while the whole country has had to play its part in the drive for austerity, Manchester has been hit harder than most.

The government insists that isn’t the case. Last month, communities minister Kris Hopkins told the M.E.N: “We have continued to deliver a fair settlement to every part of the country – north and south, rural and urban, city and shire – and the truth is that councils have continued to balance their budgets while public satisfaction with services has been maintained.

Councils' 'spending power' for 2013-2016 (£) +25.8m Surrey +2.6m Cheshire East +2.2m Oxfordshire -58.2m Manchester

“Every bit of the public sector needs to do their bit to pay off the deficit left by the last administration, including local government, which accounts for a quarter of all public spending.”

He said spending across Greater Manchester as a whole has gone up during this parliament.

However, government figures show that in each year since 2010, Manchester has lost considerably more money than the average local authority.

How does Manchester's spending power compare to local councils of senior Tory ministers? -58.2m Manchester +2.2m Prime Minister David Cameron: Oxfordshire +2.6m Chancellor George Osborne: Cheshire East -200k Foreign Secretary William Hague: North Yorkshire +2.2m Home Secretary Theresa May: Windsor and Maidenhead +25.8m Chief Whip Michael Gove: Surrey Government figures

Next year sees the average town hall’s ‘spending power’ cut by 1.8pc compared to 2014 - but for Manchester the figure is 5pc, or £28.1m. Only Liverpool and Birmingham fare worse - while Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex all gain.

Town hall chiefs say that if Manchester had simply had the average national deal, it would be £1m a week better off.