B&NES Council’s Economic and Community Development panel met yesterday morning to discuss the issue of improving access to broadband internet across the whole of the Bath area.
The Council’s Cabinet recently decided against participating with Bristol in a government broadband funding project, as they felt the £1m it would have cost Council tax payers would have represented poor value for money. Instead, the Cabinet opted to fund a study into the most cost-effective means of improving internet access in the district, leading to a local broadband plan. This decision was challenged (‘called in’) by a number of opposition Councillors, leading to this morning’s meeting. The panel voted unanimously to ask the Cabinet to look at this issue again.
Councillor Cherry Beath (Liberal Democrat, Combe Down), Cabinet member for Sustainable Development, said:
“I welcome the democratic call in process; I feel it’s good to debate and look closely at important decisions like this. From listening to the speakers this morning, I don’t think we disagree over the importance of broadband internet access – the Cabinet recognises that it is a vital service for residents and businesses and that some parts of B&NES are missing out. We will be taking these contributions into account when this decision comes back to Cabinet.
“I think the difference of opinion is over what is the best way of improving access. The Liberal Democrat administration is committed to ensuring we get the best value for money for residents and we didn’t feel that the scheme proposed by the government represented value for money based on the information available at the time. We approved funding for a proper study to look more deeply at the options in this fast developing sector and to get accurate data on the potential benefits.“
Councillor Ben Stevens (Liberal Democrat, Widcombe), vice-chair of the panel commented:
“This was a very productive morning in which we heard a lot of very useful evidence from people living and running businesses in rural areas of the district. I particularly welcome the emphasis that many speakers put on equalities – we need to get a plan that will work for everyone, not just ‘most’ people. Even if we joined the scheme, there’s no guarantee of the service as broadband speeds are dependent on so many factors.
“Ultimately though, I voted for the reference back to give Cabinet members the opportunity to look at new information and I am glad that they welcome this opportunity.“
