Hundreds of county people have signed a petition calling for fair treatment for rural areas which will be presented by MP Harriett Baldwin to the House of Commons tonight (Monday November 4). The petition is part of a national campaign to lobby the Government for fairer funding for rural communities. MPs representing 31 constituencies will present petitions tonight with more than 17,000 signatories. A further 88 MPs also received the petition. The petition states that the current Local Government Settlement is unfair on people who live in rural areas and calls for the Government to reduce the so-called 'Rural Penalty' in staged steps by at least 10 per cent by 2020. It is estimated that urban areas receive 50 per cent more funding than their rural counterparts. Harriett commented: "People who live in rural areas know that they pay a penalty, not just in terms of formal funding for things like schools, emergency services and roads, but also when paying for things like petrol or accessing vital services like broadband or mobile telephony. "I am delighted that local people have taken the time to join this national campaign to lobby for a better deal for rural residents. "I have been an active campaigner for a fairer share of funding in our rural schools, for our fire service and for our councils. I have also been very vocal on rural broadband connectivity and fuel prices. "There is much still to do and I hope that the Government will look at this campaign and investigate how we can offer a fairer deal for people who choose to live in rural areas." FULL TEXT: Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con): I am handing in a petition in the same terms for 128 signatories from the beautiful town of Pershore and the villages around Bredon Hill in my constituency. The Petition of the residents of West Worcestershire. Declares that the Petitioners believe that the Local Government Finance Settlement is unfair to rural communities; notes that the Rural Penalty sees urban areas receive 50% more support per head than rural areas despite higher costs in rural service delivery; and opposes the planned freezing of this inequity in the 2013–14 settlement for six years until 2020. The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to reduce the Rural Penalty in staged steps by at least 10% by 2020. And the Petitioners remain, etc. [P001268] | Hansard