Tim Farron fights to get rural Eden communities connected to hyperfast broadband

Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has stepped up his campaigning to help several rural communities in Eden get connected after the Government pulled the plug on a funding package which would have provided them with hyperfast broadband.

Volunteers in the parishes of Murton, Warcop, Ormside and Hilton had been working with Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) for nine months to get residents signed up to get connected.

But in June, residents were informed that the Government vouchers which would have made the B4RN connection possible would not be available.

Tim, alongside representatives from Building Digital UK, B4RN, Fibrus and Connecting Cumbria, recently spoke at a meeting at Murton Institute, attended by well over 100 local residents to hear their frustrations.

Following an unanimous vote at the meeting, Tim has written to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, to ask for her to intervene.

Tim also raised the issue yesterday with government ministers in Parliament.

Speaking during a  Westminster Hall debate on Provision of Broadband for Rural Communities, Tim said: “I want to talk about those properties that will be in what is called ‘deferred scope’. They are not being connected via Project Gigabit now, but they may be in the future - the next two, three or four years.

“I was at a meeting in Murton village hall on that very snowed-in weekend with the communities of Murton, Hilton, Ormside, Warcop and the surrounding areas, which are places in the ‘deferred scope’.

“Were the Government to be flexible and allow the return of the voucher scheme, a wonderful community interest company, which I mentioned here before, called B4RN - Broadband for the Rural North - will be able to provide £33 a month access, with gigabit upload and download speeds for absolutely everybody and with 100% of properties within scope.

“All it takes is for the Minister to agree to the ask that I have made of the Secretary of State in the last few days: that the Government would, through BDUK, re-offer the vouchers for those communities and be flexible, so that those communities are connected to the best speed at the best connection as quickly as possible.”