Herefordshire and Gloucestershire broadband grant approved

After the Fastershire project ends there will still be 3% of premise who will be without broadband

A total of £14m is being used to give broadband to rural areas in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.

Gloucestershire County Council says its Fastershire project will reach 97% of both counties by 2022. This fund will deliver broadband to the remaining 3%.

Cabinet member Patrick Molyneux said it was to ensure "rural areas do not get left behind and make sure they have a level playing field".

Broadband will be delivered using a range of pre-approved suppliers.

The move was approved by Gloucestershire cabinet members on Friday.

Mr Molyneux, cabinet member for economy, education and skills, added householders needed to register their interest on the Fastershire website.

In total the work will involve about 13,500 properties across both counties.

About £5.4m will be set aside for Gloucestershire, with the remainder set aside for Herefordshire.

The money has come from Building Digital UK (BDUK), part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and both councils.

The report added that if its plans were successful, it would mean both counties would be "one, if not the most, digitally-connected areas in the UK".