One of my Farnworth constituents recently contacted me to tell me that his street struggles with a sluggish broadband speed of up to 10Mbps, whereas other areas of Farnworth receive at least 7 times that speed.  This is a perfect example of the random patchwork of connection speeds across Bolton and the UK.

The UK is lagging well behind other countries in terms of our connectivity and is a far cry from the Government’s target of “gigabit broadband for every home and business” by 2025.  Residents and businesses need and deserve broadband that is up to the standard of Japan, South Korea and many of our European neighbours.

Now that we are leaving the EU, the EU funding for broadband improvements in the UK will end.  This leaves the UK Government with the sole responsibility of meeting its 2025 target and turning the UK into a ‘Gigabit Society’.

I have therefore written to the Minister for Digital and Broadband, Matt Warman, and asked what the Government is doing, and will do, to provide “gigabit broadband for every home and business” by 2025.