A TOP councillor has said Southampton being short changed in a levelling-up fund is 'nothing short of a national scandal'.

Southampton City Council has been handed £5.90 per head from the Shared Prosperity Fund - compared to Hart district's £9.84 a head.

The fund is aimed at helping deprived communities by allocating funding to local authorities for their own levelling up programmes.

Southampton is the 55th most deprived authority area in England and with more than a third of children living in poverty it was expected the council would see a substantial allocation.

The Hampshire borough of Hart is the least deprived district in England.

Councillor Sarah Bogle, the cabinet member for economic development, hit out over the funding.

Cllr Bogle said: "There’s been a lot of talk about 'levelling up' by the government, and so we were surprised to see such a low allocation of funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

"This falls far short of what's needed to address significant levels of deprivation.

"Levelling up in Southampton cannot be achieved if we do not do something about the high levels of child poverty, so that everyone gets the same chance in life.

"It is nothing short of a national scandal that these allocations bear no relation to levels of need."

The Cabinet member is now writing to the Levelling Up Minister, Greg Clark MP asking for an explanation.

Hart has higher than average wages, higher than average employment rate, and higher than average life expectancy.

Southampton has lower than average wages, lower than average employment rate, and lower than average life expectancy.

Simon Oldham, who collects food for those in need and sees first hand the depravation that Southampton faces, called for more funding.

He said: "Southampton (is) yet again getting disproportionally smaller allocation than wealthier areas. If we in the south do get funding it seems to be siphoned off.

"We need real funding to support our city, Southampton is one of the most deprived areas in the south, yet post-industrial places here don't get the recognition to resolve the growing issues we face in our communities.

"Foodbanks and Food clubs should not need to exist in Southampton or anywhere in UK, and only fairer distribution of funds can achieve their end."

A spokesperson from The Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities said: “Our UK Shared Prosperity Fund matches EU funding, gives local people control of how UK money is spent, removes unnecessary bureaucracy and enables local communities to invest in the priorities that matter to them.

“The government has set out a long-term plan for the country to spread opportunity and bring real difference to people’s lives.”

Royston Smith, Conservative MP for Southampton Itchen, previously said the city had seen 'precious little evidence of (levelling-up) here in Southampton'.