THE Prime Minister has set out her vision of a "Shared Society" (Echo, Jan 10) and declared that Government has a duty to intervene and correct "burning injustices" in modern Britain, with an obligation to build a stronger, fairer country that works for everyone, not just a privileged few.

I would propose to Mrs May that an excellent starting point would be to eradicate the absolutely iniquitous state of affairs by which taxes paid in England hugely subsidise the other countries in the UK, and residents are obliged to pay vast sums of money for services that are provided free, or at a much reduced cost by the grace of grants to individual students, and populations in general, in the rest of the country.

It must not be forgotten, as examples, that in Scotland university education is provided at no cost, while the English student now pays up to £9,250 a year with a probability that this will increase.

Care in residential homes, NHS prescriptions, and hospital car parking are amongst the other areas which in Scotland are provided at no cost.

The Prime Minister must live up to her declarations and take immediate action now to make Britain certainly a fairer place for the English, which is so very much overdue, and which they so deserve.

At present Britain may be loosely termed the "United" Kingdom, but a fair one it certainly is not.

I am bewildered that the English have as yet not created a bedlam of protest over their sorry situation, perhaps the astonishing realities of it have not percolated through to them.

Bobby Meynell, Stockton.