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£1.5 million business internet investment to create 1,600 Leeds and Bradford jobs

Leeds and Bradford are expecting to see a jobs boost of 1,600 jobs as a result of £1.5 million of government ‘connection voucher’ grants awarded to over 800 small businesses in the two cities since February.

The funding covers the costs of installing high-speed internet connectivity, as part of the Superconnected Cities programme.

Leeds and Bradford have seen the UK’s highest take-up rates outside London for the vouchers, which are worth up to £3,000 to each business, and the programme is set to generate rapid economic benefits for the region.

According to SMEs that have signed up for the scheme, each business that has gained access to super-fast internet services expects to create an average of 2.1 new jobs over the following 12 months as a result of the faster web infrastructure, with turnover predicted to rise by an average of £148k.

News that the Superconnected Cities programme has been extended beyond the original cut-off point of March 2015 has been welcomed by council chiefs in Leeds and Bradford.

The announcement, made as part of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, will see funding continue until March 2016, with an additional £40 million available nationally to enable more businesses to benefit from a connection to high speed internet.

Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for transport and the economy, said: “We are seeing escalating application rates for the vouchers as word spreads about just how transformational the step up to high-speed internet can be for smaller businesses.

“That’s having a knock-on positive economic impact as companies maximise their potential to become more productive and efficient.”

“Whether firms get connected via a broadband or wireless connection, they report immediate benefits, from increased productivity and data capacity to speedier customer response times.”

Superconnected Leeds Bradford programme manager Mark Durham said: “We’ve seen group applications leverage some quite hefty buying power.

“The grants can be combined and we’ve approved a number of group applications, including one where a group of businesses received £66,000 towards an upgrade in their broadband connectivity.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .