A RURAL campaign group has urged residents and councillors in Lancashire to join its campaign for fairer funding from the government.

The Rural Services Network has asked the government to change its funding formula, which sees urban councils currently receive about 50 per cent more money per person than rural councils.

The group wants supporters in rural parts of the county to join its calls to reduce the funding gap between rural and urban areas to 40 per cent by 2020.

Campaign leader Graham Stuart explained: “Overall, rural residents earn less, on average, than residents in cities.

“Rural residents pay council tax which is £75 more per person, but see urban areas receive government grants 50 per cent higher per head than those in the countryside.

“The government is proposing to freeze this position until 2020.

“We believe that freezing the system until 2020 is indefensible, locking in past unfairness and stopping changes the government has itself agreed, actually being implemented.

"We are not arguing for more government spending overall but for fair allocations within the spending envelope. “When money is tight it is even more important that funding allocations to rural and urban areas are fair.”

To find out more about the campaign, visit www.rsnonline.org.uk/parliamentary/rural-fair-share-petition.