This week, Westmorland MP Tim Farron attended a roundtable with Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) and other MPs.

Achieving hyper fast broadband within rural communities in Cumbria has been something Tim has been supportive of for some time now. He has been supportive of B4RN’s work and has long recognised the significance of their work within Cumbria which hosts some of the most remote communities in the country.

The roundtable was attended by other relevant MPs in the rural North along with representatives from B4RN. Tim and others recommitted themselves to working with B4RN to help them achieve hyper fast broadband connections. They also discussed B4RN’s plans to roll out connections in areas of Kirkby Stephen and Brough within Eden. Speaking this morning on the discussion, Tim said: “The discussion was very worthwhile, and I completely support everything B4RN is doing.”

Concerns were also raised surrounding the Government’s ‘project gigabit’. The plans mean that currently, hundreds of properties within Cumbria are set to miss out on hyper fast broadband connections. The current plan has left a loophole meaning farmers and families within the area could be left to find up to £20k to cover the cost of installation. Tim said on the issue: “There is a real fear here, that B4RN and I both share, that this built in blind spot from the Government could create a digital divide. There is a cost-of-living crisis and most people don’t have a spare £20,000 to use for broadband connections.

“The Government must immediately correct this loophole or there could be real, severe consequences.”