Government plans to close the gap between rich and poor parts of the country have been given a cautious welcome by The Salvation Army.

The 'Levelling Up' white paper was launched by Michael Gove on Wednesday. Under the plans, regional mayors will be set up to oversee more targeted spending.

Other proposals include raising wages and improving housing in deprived communities. 

The Salvation Army welcomed the strategy as "a chance to invest in the thousands of people that don't want a handout but a hand up". 

However, it said that the success of the strategy would depend on whether the government could ensure that funding reaches those most in need. 

The Salvation Army said a number of other measures would need to be put in place, including investment in childcare so that parents can access work and training opportunities, and the development of local labour markets that rely on shrinking industries or low skilled, low paid work. 

The Church also called for a community-centred approach that involves locals in discussions around what levelling up looks like in their area, and where investment should be focused.

The Salvation Army's Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant said: "The people who come to our food banks, debt and employment advice services want to work but are often held back by things beyond their control.

"Poorly paid seasonal work, lack of access to affordable childcare or just no opportunity to retrain when a large local employer shuts, can trap people and entire areas in deprivation.

"The Levelling Up Fund is a chance to invest in the thousands of people that don't want a handout but a hand up.

"To achieve its bold goal to level up the country we urge the government to rethink how need is calculated to ensure that the remainder of the funding is focused on investment on areas with the highest levels of deprivation."