WEST WORCESTERSHIRE MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has repeated calls for rural broadband upgrades to be rolled out.
The MP met with officials (Wednesday, October 14) to receive an update on the local progress of Project Gigabit, where she learned over a quarter of addresses have not yet received the upgrade.
In West Worcestershire, 72 per cent of premises currently have a gigabit-capable connection, with a national average of 88 per cent.
Since Dame Harriett was first elected in 2010, local broadband coverage has improved significantly as she has lobbied the County Council and network providers, but the MP says there is still more to do.
Dame Harriett said: “Having fast, reliable broadband is now essential to everyday home and work life and constituents have contacted me to ask when they will be getting the upgrade.
“Huge strides have been made to improve local coverage since I was first elected but these latest figures show we are still lagging behind the rest of the country.
“I have fed back the concerns of residents and employers about delays in the rollout of gigabit broadband to the officials planning it.
“I will also keep up the pressure on the County Council and Openreach who are responsible for expanding and maintaining the network.”