Blog: Pay more, get less, and be treated like a second-class citizen whose views count for not very much.

That is the lot for those living in the countryside in the 21st century.

People in Shropshire do not need any reports or studies to tell them that reality, but for the record it is confirmed by research by the Rural Service Network published today which says that rural residents in England receive 50 per cent less in government grants than their urban counterparts but pay £100 a year more in council tax.

Those in government circles seem to think that being able to look out of the window and see greenery somehow compensates for this institutionally unfair treatment of country dwellers.

In Shropshire there are many bones of contention. Educational spending on Shropshire pupils is less per head than in many other areas. Towns and villages are being stripped of their local services in the name of cost cutting. There are slow-speed internet connections in large swathes of the county. Even in the county’s most urbanised area, Telford, there is a longstanding complaint that the town’s special needs are not being recognised by the government.

Traditionally the Conservatives have been seen as the party which supports the countryside. So far there has not been much sign of it under David Cameron’s leadership.

He has a couple of stock excuses – Labour mismanagement of the nation’s finances, restricting his freedom for action, and the dead weight of the Lib Dems in the coalition holding him back from doing things he would like to do.

There comes a point when the excuses will no longer wash.

It is time for David Cameron to start proving his countryside credentials.