DCMS: ‘Fast broadband vital for UK growth’

The Government is to invest £114m in setting up ultrafast broadband across 10 UK cities, a move the newly appointed culture secretary Maria Miller says is “essential” for encouraging digital marketers to invest in in the UK.

LondonPicCity
Government says a £114m investment in broadband across 10 UK cities including London will encourage brands to invest in the UK.

The Government has confirmed the funding allocations for each city. London will receive a £25m investment, the largest sum, while Leeds and Bradford will jointly receive the second largest amount (see below).

The move is part of a push by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to speed up the roll out of superfast broadband networks in the UK by cutting the amount of red tape involved in projects.

Miller, who was moved from her junior minister role in the Department for Work and Pensions as part of Prime Minister David Cameron’s first major reshuffle earlier this month (4 September), says the investment scheme is key to the “country’s economic future.”

She adds: “These ten cities have produced ambitious and comprehensive plans, which will turn them into digital leaders, and give their local economies a real boost. The new investment will help put these cities at the centre of the digital stage, competing for jobs and investment with the best in the world.”

In March, the Government named the ten cities that will get a share of a multi-million investment plan to boost the use of broadband. Each city will share £114m to help deliver superfast broadband speeds to drive growth, attract new businesses and transform the way services are provided and accessed.

Cities such as London, Manchester and Birmingham successfully bid to receive the investment. Together, the 10 proposals all involve providing ultrafast broadband access to an extra 230,000 homes and 55,000 business premises by 2015.

The funding was announced in last year’s Budget and the total sum originally allocated was £100m. The allocations to each city are:

  • Belfast – £13.7.
  • Birmingham – £10m
  • Bristol – £11.3m
  • Cardiff – £11m
  • Edinburgh – £10.7m
  • Leeds & Bradford (joint bid) – £14.4m
  • London – £25m
  • Manchester – £12m
  • Newcastle – £6m

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