Super-fast broadband pledge by Lancashire County Council

Lancashire County Council has pledged a high-speed broadband connection to 97% of the county within two years.

A £32m investment, which promises speeds in excess of 30Mbps, is aimed at improving connections for people in rural areas.

Another priority is to provide the high-speed connection to the county's planned enterprise zones in an effort to attract new businesses and jobs.

The scheme will create 25 jobs and 20 apprenticeships, the council has said.

It said it would also set up a £500,000 community fund to connect the remote areas not covered in the main scheme, with the area to the east of Lancaster being the first to benefit.

'Thriving economy'

These areas will receive access to at least 2Mbps.

The council said "super-fast" broadband was already available to about two-thirds of Lancashire.

Geoff Driver, leader of the council, said: "We are determined to ensure that Lancashire continues to benefit from being at the forefront of this technology.

"Establishing this super-fast broadband network will not only open up opportunities for businesses in Lancashire, it will revolutionise the way that people in the county, especially in rural or deprived areas, connect to the wider world."

Edwin Booth, chairman of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, said: "Super-fast broadband has a critical role to play in increasing productivity and innovation across all areas of the economy in Lancashire.

"We want a thriving economy here in Lancashire and this will help us to achieve it."