Durham County Council (DCC) is aiming to secure more than £1.5 million of government funding to bring faster broadband connectivity to rural communities.

The local authority has applied for the cash boost from the Rural Community Broadband Fund as it seeks to improve access in parts of upper Teesdale and Weardale, reports the Northern Echo.

For the bid to be approved, the county council must demonstrate that at least 50 per cent of local residents, businesses and community groups are eager to sign up for faster broadband.

But far from winning praise for its efforts, DCC has been criticised for the way it has gone about attracting support for the project, with opponents arguing that information sessions have been poorly arranged and a questionnaire supporting the campaign was badly worded.

Last week, the board of the Teesdale Action Partnership called the whole process "utterly flawed", but vowed to do everything in its power to ensure the area does not miss out on faster broadband.

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