Shropshire needs a level playing field in effective broadband to tap into the “millions of pounds of potential”, the managing director of a leading firm of chartered surveyors has said.
Paul Madeley, managing director of Madeleys Chartered Surveyors, was speaking after the Government announced Shropshire would be prioritised in ‘Project Gigabit’, which aims to deliver lightning fast broadband to hard to reach areas of the UK.
Shropshire is included in phase 1b of the project with procurement scheduled for February 2022 and contracts due to begin in January 2023.
Paul said it was vital that investment was made into the country’s broadband infrastructure to allow Shropshire businesses to compete with other parts of the country.
“There are millions of pounds of potential in Shropshire if rural businesses are given a level playing field when it comes to services,” he said.
“There is a real possibility that Shropshire is missing out because of the reliability of broadband in the county. We need better broadband if people are setting up business here or moving here and working from home.”
Paul said that one of the most asked questions from potential house buyers during viewings was now what the quality of the broadband was like.
“There is no doubt that the quality of broadband is very high on people’s priorities,” he said. “This is definitely something that needs to be addressed.”
Prior to any formal procurement process commencing any eligible premises in the Shropshire Council area will still be eligible for a UK Gigabit Voucher.
Shropshire Council added £1 million to ‘top-up’ the national scheme to make this as attractive as possible to suppliers and encourage them to support projected ‘superfast gap’ premises. It means homes and small businesses in the county can now claim up to £4,000 or £7,000 respectively to cover the costs of building gigabit-capable broadband networks. Funding remains available on a first come, first served basis.
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