Rural living problems are being ignored, according to a new report from the Rural Services Network (RSN).
Public transport and a lack of affordable homes are the worst problems, according to the RSN and, although these problems are not new, nothing is being done about them.
Graham Biggs, the RSN's chief officer, said: '[The Government] has broken its pledge that nobody should be disadvantaged because of where they live. We hope that our report will serve as a wake-up call that rural citizens are not prepared to be treated as second class.'
The RSN, made up of service providers such as local councils, will deliver its report to Parliament today.
The Rural Services Network report comes as the Commission for Rural Communities reports that 928,000 rural households live below the official poverty line of £16,492 a year.
Stuart Burgess, the Government's Rural Advocate, said: 'The lack of affordable homes to rent and to buy continues to be the single biggest issue highlighted to me.'
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