Rural Deprivation is nothing new, but in the recent tight financial climate it can often be rural areas that suffer most. I don’t believe that is fair.
So, with many Parliamentary colleagues from all shades of political opinion, I have been fighting for fair shares in the shires. The effort is also backed by the Rural Services Network, an organisation established to safeguard public services in the countryside. 
Some progress has already been made in persuading the Government to provide additional assistance. But far more needs to be done.
That is why I have helped the Rural Fair Shares group to assemble a nationwide petition with sufficient signatures to make the Government sit up and take notice. The signatures we gathered were way above the average. Rural Services Network has both Sedgemoor and West Somerset councils among its active members. This is a campaign that may take time to win but it is well worth the effort.