Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan visits Wooler to view rural gigabit broadband rollout

Michelle Donelan and Anne-Marie Trevelyan have welcomed the the news that 64.3 per cent of premises in the Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency now have access to superfast broadband thanks to Project Gigabit, the Conservative Government’s flagship policy to connect properties with the best internet speeds.

The Government is working with broadband suppliers to achieve at least 85 per cent gigabit coverage of the UK by 2025 and nationwide coverage by 2030.

Ms Donelan said: “It was a pleasure to meet businesses and residents in Wooler to see the positive impact gigabit broadband rollout is having on the community.

“Rural connectivity is enabling people to start companies outside of major cities.

“I know this has been a priority for Anne-Marie locally and I was pleased to visit and see our plan in action, delivering for local people.

“We’re rolling out gigabit connectivity faster than any country in the EU to improve the lives and livelihoods of communities in the North East and beyond.”

The Government announced Project Gigabit in 2019 – a £5billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities access to much faster gigabit-capable broadband than they had previously.

More than a million properties across the UK, including homes, businesses and public buildings, now have a seamless internet connection following this investment.

Ms Trevelyan said: “I’m delighted that the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology chose to visit Wooler to see the need for and impact of the gigabit broadband rollout on very rural areas like north Northumberland.

“Almost two-thirds of homes in our constituency can now access at least 900 Mbps, but it remains a priority of mine to get that even higher.

“On a similar note, I’ve also been working with local community volunteers on the B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North) community-owned broadband network and it is fantastic news that the Government has now extended this to a wider area.”

For more information about B4RN and its work, go to https://b4rn.org.uk