East Lindsey puts £1 million aside for broadband plans

Monday, March 5th 2012

The east Lindsey district of Lincolnshire has earmarked £1 million to help improve broadband in the area.

East Lindsey puts £1 million aside for broadband plans

The East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) has earmarked £1 million of capital money as potential funding towards improving the broadband infrastructure in the Lincolnshire region, after the coalition government expressed its intention to support an internet provision initiative put forward by Lincolnshire County Council.

This initiative is expected to see 90 per cent of residential properties and businesses receiving connection speeds of up to 24Mbps by 2015, with a minimum connection of 2Mbps promised for the ten per cent not eligible for super-fast connections.

Portfolio holder for the economy at ELDC, councillor Craig Leyland, said the project could offer a significant boost to the area's economy if carried out successfully.

"Improved internet connection speeds will enhance the district as a place to live and work, providing a huge boost for businesses who will be able to improve their competitiveness, develop new markets and create new jobs," added Mr Leyland.

The scheme is expected to cost roughly £57 million to deliver across the county, with east Lindsey noted as one the counties with the worst fixed-line broadband provision in the area, as well as some of the slowest internet speeds in Lincolnshire.

Dealing with this issue is crucial to helping local businesses stay on their feet, suggested the chairman of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership Ursula Lidbetter.

She described efforts to improve internet provision across the county as a whole as one of the partnership's "biggest priorities" over the next few years.

A survey from comparison site uSwitch.com recently described Spilsby in Lincolnshire as one of the slowest postcodes in the UK for broadband, placing it at number 12 on the list of worst-connected areas.

Winchelsea, a small village in east Sussex, was pinpointed as the area with the slowest average internet speeds.

Julia Stent, director of telecoms at uSwitch.com, said the survey indicated the problem with patchy broadband provision across the UK.

East Lindsey puts £1 million aside for broadband plans

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