By George, that’s funny: Cameron in stitches as Osborne addresses conference

LANDOWNERS have been told they need to cut the rent they charge phone companies for erecting transmission masts on their land as Ministers hit back at mounting anger over the dismal mobile coverage in rural areas.
David Cameron laughs as he sits alongside Frances Osborne, wife of the ChancellorDavid Cameron laughs as he sits alongside Frances Osborne, wife of the Chancellor
David Cameron laughs as he sits alongside Frances Osborne, wife of the Chancellor

Communications Minister Ed Vaizey risked infuriating rural campaigners by telling the Conservative Party conference it is the responsibility of landowners to be more “reasonable” and offer reduced rents to mobile phone firms to help improve Britain’s network coverage.

Mr Vaizey’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was handed a £150m fund in 2011 to help improve mobile access in rural areas – yet large parts of the country still receive little or no signal. Last month Farming Minister David Heath blamed DCMS as he complained of having to “squat against the kitchen sink” to take calls at his home in rural Somerset.

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But speaking at a fringe event yesterday, Mr Vaizey suggested the responsibility lies with landowners to lower the rents they charge the multinational firms for erecting mobile masts.

“I would issue a challenge,” he said. “The mobile operators pay hundreds of millions of pounds in rent to put the masts up in the countryside and on people’s land.

“Where there is no coverage, I hope people will engage with the operators and perhaps offer an incentive to put a mast up on reasonable rent.”

Unsurprisingly, phone companies supported his call. Kip Meek, a director at mobile giant Everything Everywhere (EE), asked for regulation which could stop landlords from being “unreasonable” in the way they extract rent.

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The debate came as Chancellor George Osborne used his party conference speech in Manchester to offer further cheer for motorists with a pledge to try to freeze fuel duty until at least 2015.

Fuel duty freeze: Page 4.