Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to benefit from broadband boost

In total English counties are set to receive £294.8 million. The investment in Shropshire will ensure that rural homes and businesses have access to broadband speeds of at least 2Mbps.

To access these investment, local authorities including Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council will need to play their parts and lead broadband roll-out in their area, draw up an effective delivery plan, and match the Government’s investment with European or their own or private funds.

“Vital to economic growth”
Mr Hunt said: “Fast broadband is absolutely vital to our economic growth, to delivering public services effectively, and to conducting our everyday lives.

“But some areas of the UK are missing out, with many rural and hard-to-reach communities suffering painfully slow internet connections or no coverage at all. We are not prepared to let some parts of our country get left behind in the digital age.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: "In the 21st Century it is unthinkable that parts of England still do not have access to broadband. Rural communities should never be overlooked when it comes to services that most of us take for granted.

“Decent internet access is vital for the social and economic growth of our rural towns and villages. It is an essential piece of kit for modern businesses, as well as for homes and schools. The money provided to local authorities through this scheme will help end the digital divide that still exists, and allow people living in the most remote parts of our country to enjoy the same online opportunities as everyone else.”

Don’t suffer in silence
Mr Hunt urged those suffering the frustration of slow internet connections to “make it clear to your local elected representatives that you expect them to do what is needed to access this investment and to deliver broadband to your community.”

The private sector on its own will take superfast broadband to around two-thirds of UK households and businesses - this funding will be used to help take broadband to the remaining third by making it viable for business to invest.

The allocations made today are based on need – we have looked at the areas where the market will fail to deliver superfast broadband to enough premises on its own, and the cost of that. It is not based on the number of people living or working in a county.

Councils to work together
Shropshire Council will now start working with Telford & Wrekin Borough Council to make sure the money is put to good use in Shropshire. Council officers are now waiting for more detail from Broadband Delivery UK (the Government organisation in charge of the project) about the next steps.

Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for IT, said:

“This is fantastic news for Shropshire businesses, residents and communities as a whole. Improving our county’s broadband coverage will encourage businesses to come to Shropshire, and it will help existing businesses to thrive, giving an overall boost to the local economy.

“Our commitment to achieving superfast broadband for Shropshire communities means that we have been working on this bid for some time as part of the council’s ICT strategy. We have already provided detailed information and evidence to the Government from our communities, who have told us through our consultation activities about how much this matters to them from a community and local economy point of view, particularly in our rural areas.

“We now need to roll our sleeves up and make sure we make the best possible use of this funding. This is just the start, however, as we need to find other funding streams to support this initial investment so we can really make a difference to the lives of Shropshire residents.”

For information on Shropshire Council's Connecting Shropshire visit - http://www.connectingshropshire.co.uk