Councils key in delivering digital connectivity ambitions

Ministers are calling on local councils to help ensure people can access better broadband and mobile connectivity crucial to the UK’s coronavirus recovery.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman and Local Government Minister Simon Clarke have written to local authorities setting out how they can help boost gigabit broadband rollout and 5G mobile coverage.

Together, they ate urging councils to follow new government advice on land access and valuations so deals granting access for new infrastructure such as 5G masts and full fibre broadband cabinets on public land can be reached quicker and with reasonable rents attached. Central government has also shared new guidance on the safety and benefits of 5G so councils can give people the facts and tackle disinformation about this revolutionary mobile technology.

The announcement follows increased opposition to some local planning applications for phone masts, spurred by harmful online conspiracy theories falsely claiming a link between 5G and the spread of coronavirus.

As part of the vision they have for councils, Warman and Clarke are also asking councils to appoint a ‘digital champion’ to work across multiple teams to ensure a cohesive digital infrastructure strategy and encouraging authorities to use central government’s dedicated ‘barrier busting’ team which is charged with removing the obstacles to rollout.

Warman said: “We want to help people get access to fast and reliable connectivity. It is a top priority for this government. Councils have a vital role to play in the rollout of digital infrastructure and while there is good work going on up and down the country, there is more we can do. Today I’m writing to local authorities with new guidance and advice to help them break down some of the barriers to rollout and give them the tools they need to quell quack theories about 5G.”

Clarke added: “Councils play a critical role in delivering high-speed broadband and this new guidance will help them roll out this vital infrastructure more easily. I want councils up and down the country to ensure their communities benefit from faster internet connections and better connectivity. This will help to drive growth locally and is part of this government’s mission to level up every area of our country and help local areas to recover after the pandemic.”

Mark Hawthorne, the Local Government Association’s digital connectivity spokesperson, said: “Councils are uniquely placed within their communities to identify the needs of residents and businesses, including their demand for faster and more reliable digital connectivity. This new suite of guidance will complement the work councils are already doing, alongside central government and local partners to support the roll out of digital infrastructure across local areas. As we look forward, councils are committed to working closely with the government to help deliver on its nationwide gigabit-broadband and mobile coverage ambitions.”