Campaign to drive West Yorkshire broadband speeds

Businesses and residents in West Yorkshire are being encouraged to join a campaign to bring better broadband access to the region.

A web portal, superfastwestyorkshire.co.uk is supported by Leeds City Region Partnership and the five West Yorkshore authorities, and allows people to register their support.

The project aims to ensure that West Yorkshire households and businesses have access to superfast broadband speeds greater than 24 Mbps.

Cllrr Keith Wakefield, chair of the Association of West Yorkshire Authorities said: “Through the West Yorkshire Local Broadband project we will be able to make a substantial investment in the digital infrastructure of the area. We feel that with so many public services being delivered online it is essential that all our residents have access to decent broadband.”

“People now have a chance to register their demand for better broadband so I’d like to encourage businesses and residents across West Yorkshire to make their voices heard.”

Roger Marsh, chair of the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership added: “Access to decent broadband keeps coming back as one of the barriers our city region businesses face when it comes to setting up and expanding. We now have the opportunity to address some of these issues through this project.”

“We recognise the importance of digital infrastructure in economic competitiveness. As part of the Partnership’s wider digital infrastructure strategy we therefore seek to deliver targeted activities to enhance our digital offer to business and communities.”

“It is therefore essential that both business and residents take the opportunity to register their need for better broadband - enabling us to identify and prioritise the investment to be made under this project.”

The project will receive funding from both local and national government, the European Union and the private sector totalling approximately £15 million and is due to be completed in the summer of 2015.

To register your support, visit this address.