A REPORT published recently makes damning reading for local and national government.

The House of Lords Select Committee on the Rural Economy identifies a continuing neglect of rural services and investment by policymakers focused on city initiatives.

Rural England has a population comparable to Greater London but receives a tiny fraction of the taxpayers' money spent on transport, digital communications and services.

The high cost of housing compared to urban areas is resulting in a continuing drain of talent as our young people leave for the cities.

Rural businesses facing skills shortages and a creaking road network are further hampered by broadband speeds that are among the slowest in Europe.

The last five years have seen a nosedive in service provision – particularly in public transport, banking, health provision and support for young people – as austerity has disproportionately hit the rural North.

A series of reports by the independent organisation Rural England has been making this clear since 2016, but to our county council and local MPs this has been 'an inconvenient truth' to be kept under wraps.

In place of persistent and public complaints to Westminster we have seen token gestures from our representatives and a continuing erosion of local democracy.

The latter has been particularly evident in the rejection by councillors and our MP of widespread local opposition to fracking.

We deserve better than this. The Select Committee report recommends a 'rural proofing' framework to be delivered locally as well as nationally.

It is high time we saw some loud and effective action at county and constituency levels to rock the boat and demand our fair share.

Dr Peter Williams, Malton