A NEW YEAR rebellion is to be launched against "grossly unfair" spending cuts set to "crucify" rural communities.

A front-page article in the Sunday Telegraph highlights calls for a government u-turn by the 120 rural councils belonging to SPARSE Rural – part of the Rural Services Network.

The group is considering bringing a judicial review against the government's finance settlement, which will hit rural areas far harder than urban areas, it says.

Services in remote areas which face being cut include bus routes, libraries, leisure centres, public conveniences, and even council backing for rural broadband, reports the paper.

The article, which can be read in full here, quotes SPARSE Rural chairman Roger Begy.

"Rural authorities for the last 10 to 12 years have been seriously under funded in relation to urban areas," it reports him as saying.

"For the last 18 months we have been working with the government reviewing the [spending] formula that takes into account deprivation.

"Now that has been ignored completely and all the promises ministers made have disappeared. We are going to have to do something.

"This is totally unfair and is going to crucify a lot of rural areas. People are going to be isolated."

Judicial review was "one of the options we are looking at," Mr Begy added.

"This has come at the worst possible time with the rise of people looking at UKIP as an alternative to vote for," he said.

The newspaper says a "revolt of the Tory shires" would be a "further political headache" for David Cameron, already battling rising support for the United Kingdom Independence Party.

Opposition by the Rural Services Network to the spending cuts has also been reported extensively by regional newspapers and media, including articles listed here.