A report for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Left Behind Neighbourhoods also reveals that 40% of households in poorer regions have no car – compared to an England average of 26%. Bus services supported by local authorities in poorer areas also declined by 35% over the last six years, while commercial services fell by 11%.

Almost three quarters of poorer communities have no railway station, compared to 60% before the 1960s.

Left behind areas with the poorest connectivity are predominantly located in coastal areas and on the outskirts of post industrial towns and cities in the north and the Midlands.

The Group recommends that Government prioritises investment in left behind neighbourhoods, that funds are directed to the ‘hyper local’ level to support communities and that local authorities are given more ability to plan transport services.

Its Conservative co-chair Paul Howell MP said: “This report demonstrates how public transport in left behind neighbourhoods can mean the difference between being able to access employment opportunities or unemployment. In some cases, it really can be the difference between life and death with a lack of access to life saving services.”

Labour co-chair Dame Diana Johnson MP added: “The Government must do more to provide equality of opportunity for left behind neighbourhoods.” While investment in town and city centres can provide opportunities, she said “that’s little help if people living several miles away aren’t able to get to them”.

The report was produced by the Campaign for Better Transport with data from the Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion. The Campaign’s head of policy, research and projects Silviya Barrett said: “It’s hard to overstate the importance of good public transport. Communities that struggle to access jobs, training and essential services have no chance of thriving.”

She added that reconnecting lost rail links, reinstating cut bus routes and ensuring local authorities have the funds and skills to provide the public transport local communities need are key to reinvigorating areas featured in the report “and, crucially, ensuring these communities don't get further left behind”.

(Photograph: Wozzie - Shutterstock)