HUW HOLDS LOCAL PARISH CONFERENCE ON RURAL BROADBAND AND WILDFLOWER MEADOWS
23.11.2016 for immediate release: Local community representatives and politicians from all sections of governance met last week to discuss how community partnerships can access better broadband and mobile reception and transform local highways and spaces in to wild flower areas. The MP's Parish Conference, organised and chaired by Huw Merriman MP, was held at Great Dixter in Northiam and was attended by representatives from 23 of the 28 Parish and Town councils from the 200 square miles of the Bexhill and Battle constituency. They were joined by District and County Councillors from across Rother and Wealden.
Parish and Town Councillors expressed frustration that the roll-out of broadband and mobile phone reception had not reached all parts of the community, with rural areas particularly lacking. Katy Thomas, Team Manager of East Sussex County Council's Economic Development Team, which manages the e-Sussex project, explained that the council had just embarked on the next stage of this project which aims to fund parts of the rural community where commercial broadband providers will not invest. She also talked about the Council’s plans to reach as close to 100% coverage as possible as ESCC’s Cabinet has just approved a third phase of the project. The conference was shown maps of the constituency which show the projected broadband coverage over the coming years. By end 2017 it is anticipated that some 95% of premises across East Sussex will have access to reliable fibre broadband infrastructure
Speaking to the conference, Stacey King, BT's South East Director explained how parishes across the country have worked together fill in gaps in broadband coverage with local parish, community and grant funding. BT is happy to talk to local communities to see how gaps in funding can be bridged. Alex Jackman, of mobile service provider EE then went on to outline plans for great increases in mobile coverage for the Bexhill and Battle constituency over the next two years.
The calls for the remotest parts of the constituency to be prioritised were led by Andrew Wedmore, Chair of Brightling Parish Council and Chairman of the Rother Association of Local Councils Working Party on Rural Broadband who spoke to the conference of the difficulties faced by rural areas where homes and businesses are impacted by slow broadband speeds. Huw Merriman explained that a new act being introduced to Parliament will give every household the universal right to gain broadband in the same way that a landline phone is funded.
Earlier, the conference heard from CEO and Head Gardener at Great Dixter, Fergus Garrett, who explained how our local landscape can be transformed in to rich wildflower habitats if representatives changed the approach to public land. Mr Garrett gave some simple planting and management ideas which would serve to make spaces more beautiful and encourage more bees and pollinators.
Speaking after the conference Huw said: "It was great to have a room full of parish, town, district and county councillors working as one to deliver for the community. This week, I discussed the conference's broadband frustrations with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Support and was delighted by the subsequent announcement that £1bl will be added to the broadband roll-out fund which we can access locally and from April 2017, the government will also provide a new 100% business rates relief for new full-fibre infrastructure for a 5 year period.
I should like to thank all our speakers for giving up their time to address the conference on these important local issues. I am especially grateful to Fergus Garrett for having 36 councillors and representatives in the Great Hall. I hope he has inspired us all to make our landscape more beautiful and productive. As the All Party Parliamentary Chairman for Bees and Pollinators, it was music to my ears."