On the floor of the House of Commons this week, Cumbrian MP Tim Farron secured a promise from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to look into why the Government pulled the plug on a funding package for full-fibre broadband for communities in Eden.
Volunteers in the parish of Warcop had been working with Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) for the last nine months to get residents signed up to get connected.
But out of the blue this month, Building Digital UK, a wing of a government department, suddenly declared that the parish was no longer a priority area.
The issue has been raised in Parliament by Mr Farron, who is also the prospective parliamentary candidate for the new Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency which is set to include Warcop.
This is the second time he has raised the issue in Parliament, after mentioning it during a Westminster Hall debate on the role of volunteer groups in rural areas.
Speaking during Treasury Questions, Mr Farron said: “The tech sector in rural Cumbria depends obviously on reliable broadband.
“And yet communities in Warcop, Sandford, Coupland Beck, Bleatarn and Ormside in Westmorland who have signed up to the community interest company and volunteer group B4RN to provide a gigabit connection for just £33 a month.
“But the communities have been suddenly designated a low priority area, meaning that their vouchers have been removed, putting the whole system and the whole project at risk.
“I wonder if the Chancellor would commit to supporting those communities and the residents and businesses within them in ensuring they get the voucher they were initially promised?”
Responding, Jeremy Hunt said: “Well I will happily look into what’s happened. We strongly support all rural areas having access to gigabit broadband.
“It’s a very important part of our policy. We’ve made a lot of progress in that area. I’ll look into the detail of what’s happening in his area and get back to him.”
