Witney's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats, Gareth Epps, has condemned the lack of spending on rural transport by the Government's Countryside Agency.

Mr Epps said: "From this year's budget of 5.8m, the Countryside Agency has only spent 1.336m.

"They have spent less than a quarter of the available funds for rural transport, which is a shocking wasted opportunity.

"In Oxfordshire, the figures show that 79 per cent of rural villages are without a daily bus service. There is clearly the will to greatly improve that appalling figure. But Labour are not providing the way.

"The Government promised to improve rural transport in its recent rural White Paper. Transport is the most important service in rural areas - without it people cannot access basic amenities - but it is also the most neglected. This should be top priority."