Meon Valley MP Flick Drummond has been thanked for her work in funding broadband speed improvements for Owslebury residents.

The village has long suffered from slow speeds because of traditional copper wire infrastructure rather than modern fibre optic cables.

Now 100 residents have come together to create a partnership with provider Openreach to upgrade their broadband connection using gigabit broadband vouchers from Building Digital UK.

READ MORE HERE: Six restaurants and takeaways in Winchester with a food hygiene rating under three

Ms Drummond was able to intervene to help the residents move over to the new voucher scheme after they missed the deadline for the previous one.

The vouchers can be used to cover each household’s contribution towards the total cost of the work. They are funded by the Government as part of its commitment to helping rural areas achieve faster broadband speeds.

Chairman of Owslebury Parish Council John Chapman said: “A big thank you to Flick. Her lobbying of Building Digital UK ensured that Owslebury's application was able to be carried over to the new scheme last year and has now been agreed.

“The Government's BDUK voucher scheme will help our community access faster broadband and all the benefits it brings.”

Ms Drummond said: “One of my pledges during the election was to help villages across the Meon Valley receive the investment they need to obtain fast broadband.

“Slow speeds have been a problem for people in rural areas even before the pandemic and the added demands for connectivity to allow people to work from home effectively has made the issue more pressing.

“I was delighted to help Owslebury receive these vouchers. The Government is committed to faster rural broadband and I look forward to the work taking place and residents getting decent speeds.

“I would encourage anybody in Meon Valley who is struggling with broadband connection speed to look into the voucher scheme.”

 

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from your area by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.

Kimberley Barber