WIRRAL has missed out on a £300m Government pot to help cash-strapped councils - while the southern shires have been given millions.

The so-called “transitional funding” was announced by Westminster to soften the impact of cuts.

But leaders have blasted the Government for neglecting Merseyside.

Councils are facing massive budget reductions putting services in jeopardy. Wirral is expected to announce further savings of £28m on Monday.

The £150m-a-year transitional fund has been created to help councils cope with the phasing out of the Government’s revenue support grant and will give £9m to Oxfordshire, £18.7m to Hampshire, and £24.1m to Surrey.

Cheshire East, where chancellor George Osbourne’s constituency lies, will get nearly £6m in additional support.

Yet Merseyside councils Wirral, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and Halton will receive absolutely nothing from the grant.

Wirral Council leader Cllr Phil Davies told the Globe: "It is shameless and an absolute scandal.

"It is nakedly a party political manoeuvre and local people will be rightly outraged.

"We will have to reduce our spending by a further £28m over the next year and a contribution from the transitional funding would have softened the blow - on any fair reckoning we could have expected to have received around £2m.

"Instead we have nothing while the southern Tory shires - and Mr Osborne's own constituency - get millions.

"The concept of fairness is non-existent."

MP for Liverpool West Derby Stephen Twigg said: "It’s becoming increasingly clear that the approach of the Tory Government is to cut funding and then leave councils to take the blame.

"That is Tory value for money—tax hikes and service cuts which damage the quality of life of every community up and down this country."

A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “This long-term funding settlement for councils is fair, and ensures that councils facing the highest demand for services continue to receive more funding and have higher spending power than less deprived authorities.

"The transitional funding has gone to those councils facing the biggest fall in central government grant.

“The settlement for the first time allows councils to plan with certainty, with almost £200bn to spend on local services and a £3.5bn social care funding package over the lifetime of this parliament.”