Boris Johnson is facing a rising tide of disgruntlement among his own party’s grassroots councillors, amid anger about a decade of cuts and the imposition of planning reforms which will downgrade town halls’ control over local development.

       A new survey, seen by The Independent, found that more than half of Conservative councillors think their local authority has been treated unfairly financially by central government and two-thirds think Whitehall undervalues the role of local government.

       Just 15 per cent – little over one in seven – of Tory councillors back Mr Johnson’s planning reforms, compared to more than three-fifths (61 per cent) who oppose them.