THE local MP has said she is “disappointed” to see a missed opportunity with the government continuing to ignore the west country in the recent Budget announcement.

Liberal Democrat MP for Frome and East Somerset Anna Sabine said: “It’s not lost on me that the sole mentions of anywhere in our region were the Labour-held seats in Cornwall; there was no mention of investment into Somerset; no spending on local transport or capital input to help create growth in here.”

While there was an announcement on a rail fare cap, which was welcomed by Lib Dems, Ms Sabine said this largely ignored the villages of Somerset, many of which have no train stations, or even buses.

“Investment continues to be targeted at cities and mayoral authorities, with seemingly no thought or plan around rural communities. People in my area are reliant on cars and yet the fuel freeze is going to be lifted in September as well as a new EV tax, ensuring a significant rise in costs of travel for Somerset residents and no plan for provision of alternative public transport.

“The government have shown once again that they don’t care to listen to the needs of the south west.”

On farm inheritance tax, she added: “The refusal to remove the family farm tax will result in a loss of farms. With that, we lose not just crucial food production abilities, but in areas like ours the knock-on effect to all other thousands of related jobs built around the industry, will be huge.”

Ms Sabine has spoken previously for the need for infrastructure to unlock the economic potential of the region, speaking on the need for broadband, buses and jobs in south west.

She added: “Real investment is needed in rural communities, and after years of Conservative mismanagement, the Labour government seems intent on continuing the cycle.”