Bexhill and Battle MP, Greg Barker, urged local residents and businesses to grasp the opportunities for high speed broadband when he hosted a successful Broadband Roundtable at the Heathfield Community Centre last Friday. The event which was well attended by local businesses, residents and voluntary organisations was designed by Greg to help them get a better understanding of the ambitious Local Broadband Plan for East Sussex.
Cllr Keith Glazier, Deputy Leader of East Sussex County Council led the roundtable, supported by Katy Thomas, Economic Development Manager at the Council.
Welcoming everyone to the meeting, Greg pledged that the Coalition Government would bring superfast broadband to all parts of the UK and was committed to creating the best broadband network in Europe by 2015. He told the meeting that superfast broadband will provide the foundations from which the UK economy will grow and recover from the recession by making it easier for businesses to communicate with their suppliers and customers both locally and globally. It will also offer better
and more efficient channels for delivering public services, making them more accessible to all and especially rural communities.
Cllr Glazier explained that currently only 3 per cent of homes and businesses in East Sussex have access to superfast broadband and there are over 64,000 properties which are not able to get what the Government states is the acceptable minimum broadband speed of 2mbps (megabits per second).
The County Council and its partners are committed to securing a superfast broadband future; over £15 million has been ear-marked from County Council funds, more than matching the £10.64 million already set aside by the Government for the County. The Council aims to cover 100 per cent of East Sussex as quickly as possible.
Answering concerns from local business owners, Cllr Glazier said that the Council will be specifically targeting and prioritising the more rural areas of the County which currently receive no or poor broadband coverage.
Cllr Glazier explained how important it is for businesses and residents to engage, not only with the County Council, but also their local Parish and Town Councils to help build a strong case for broadband for their local area. The project will be very much community-led and the County Council has launched a website that anyone can use to register their interest in broadband
http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/yourcouncil/consultation/2011/broadband/consultations2011.htm
Speaking after the meeting Greg said “Superfast broadband is essential for the future plans of our area. I want Bexhill and Battle constituency to be at the very forefront of the broadband revolution, opening up new opportunities for businesses and families alike, helping to drive a new model of sustainable economic growth here in East Sussex.
The ambitious plans of East Sussex County Council outlined by Councillor Keith Glazier at our meeting are very exciting and put our area right at the forefront of IT developments.”