Yorkshire cities look to become super-connected

The authorities have submitted a joint bid for a share of the £100m Urban Broadband Fund, to secure broadband speeds 40 times faster than basic internet connections.

Plans for as many as 10 super- connected cities were unveiled in Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement last year, and the successful bidders will be named in the March Budget.

Ministers say the networks will help city economies grow by supporting small and medium sized firms and target strategically important employment sites.

If successful, the local authorities will use the funds to enable ultra-fast broadband access to 88,000 homes and more than 16,000 businesses, with the intention to roll this out to the rest of the districts and beyond to the wider Leeds City Region over time.

The joint bid will make broadband speeds at least 10 times faster in the Leeds City Region, with full wireless coverage (WiFi) put in place in both Leeds and Bradford city centres, as well as along key transport corridors around both cities.

It would also be used to help reduce costs for the NHS and local authorities and to develop schools as “community digital hubs” to ensure residents can access the benefits.

Coun Keith Wakefield, leader of Leeds Council, said: “The two cities’ economies are integrally linked and are the driving force for the wider growth of the city region economy.

“It therefore made absolute sense to prepare a joint submission, and the funding we have bid for will enable us to transform our economies and set the standards for international competitiveness.”

The four capitals – London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast – have already been named as beneficiaries while the others will be chosen from cities including Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield.

The successful cities will benefit from speeds of between 80 and 100 megabits per second (Mbps).

Basic internet connections can be as low as 2Mbps, while superfast broadband is anything over 24Mbps.

Coun Ian Greenwood, leader of Bradford Council, said: “Creating a super-fast broadband network will help to attract investment and jobs to Bradford and the wider city region in coming years.

“These ambitious proposals will support both existing and new businesses, as well as local residents to take advantage of the opportunities that enhanced broadband connections will bring.”

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the Government is seeking to install the best broadband network in Europe by 2015.

Last year, Mr Hunt offered £8.54m to councils around the Humber area and £6.34m to those in West Yorkshire to help roll out high-speed access to remote areas.

South Yorkshire has also received funding while North Yorkshire is one of four pilot areas for a £530m fund to bridge the digital divide.

As part of the programme, a new campaign called Go ON North Yorkshire was launched last week to get more people online and increase the use of the internet.