Prior Park and Spittal among county’s worst internet notspots
Cllr Isabel Hunter
RESEARCH on internet access has shown that parts of Berwick are among the worst affected areas in Northumberland.
Prior Park and Spittal are in the top five most deprived places in the county for internet ‘notspots’ - an area that suffers from either a complete lack of internet service, or a service that is slower than 2Mbps and is not of benefit.
The findings are published in a new report by Skylogic, titled Rural Digital Exlusion, which examines the links between regional economic output
(GVA) and access to the internet across more than 800 wards and towns in some of the most rural regions of the UK.
Coun Isabel Hunter, who represents Prior on Berwick Town Council, said: “The internet and broadband is now a way of life for the majority of the residents of all ages but the speed is very poor in Berwick and the surrounding areas. There are residents living in the Horncliffe area who have to use dongles to access the internet, this is not good enough for the 21st century.
“It is affecting local businesses and making it more difficult to attract new businesses to the area. It also affects youngsters who need the internet to access parts of their homework. It’s even making it difficult to complete surveys, the Berwick Maternity Unit consultation being an example.
“I was invited on to Radio Newcastle recently to test download speeds for an episode of Stargate. A lady from the Allenheads area managed it in seven minutes but it took me 20 minutes. It would only have taken a minute or two in Newcastle.”
“The government have given Northumberland County Council £7.2m to give residents faster broadband but this is not sufficient to roll faster broadband out to the whole county. Residents in the Berwick area would love faster broadband but at the present time would like a reliable broadband at a reasonable speed.”
The study, which aims to establish a link between internet access and economic output, also reveals there are nine internet notspots in the former Berwick borough area - third highest in Northumberland behind Castle Morpeth (11) and Tynedale (10).
Steve Petrie, UK general manager for Skylogic, said: “The findings of this research provide worrying reading for anyone concerned with the economic regeneration of some of the UK’s most deprived rural areas.
“It is clear that some of the areas most in need of fast internet access are currently the ones least likely to get it. It is important that we quickly find ways to remove this digital barrier. There is no reason why rural communities should not have access to the same technological advantages as their urban counterparts.”
This report highlights the rural areas of the north east as the region with the lowest internet access per household at just 59% and also the lowest GVA at £40,369m. This compares to the south east (excluding London) with an internet access per household at 79% and a GVA of £176,500m.
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Weather for Berwick-Upon-Tweed
Monday 20 May 2013
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