Westbere Broadband – Latest News
We now have a total of 51 Westbere households and so far 2 Sturry households engaged in the Community-Led demand project for Fibre to the Premises broadband. This is fantastic news as, when we join together as a community, we are able to get the funding to build this new infrastructure. But we’re not quite there yet.
The final Openreach costs and our funding requirement to cover the project has been confirmed:
Our funding target is £192,541
Our funds for the project can come from two sources:
- Central Government via the Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) – worth £1,500 per household
- The Kent County Council (KCC) “top up” fund – potentially a further £5,500 for certain households.
Openreach do not foresee a problem with the DCMS funding, however the KCC funds are limited and they await confirmation that they will be available to us in Westbere. The Parish Council is also speaking to KCC for news on the funding. We should know the outcome of the funding availability by the end of February. This uncertainty is our biggest risk to proceeding with the project.
If we are limited to only having DCMS funding, we will need to have 60% of the 213 potential households in Westbere and Sturry sharing the same distribution point, signed up to the project. If the Kent funds are available, we are already fully funded.
The Parish Council has now posted invitations in the last week to the local Sturry properties that are included in the scope of the Openreach project with the hope of gaining their support and driving up the funding.
Your support is still needed
This is the time for residents to get involved, they will make a difference.
New participants should register their interest with the Westbere parish clerk – email your name, full address, and telephone number to clerk@westbereparishcouncil.gov.uk Please be assured that under GDPR requirements your personal data will be protected and not be shared for any other purpose.
Any questions or clarifications needed please email ian.mclean@westbereparishcouncil.gov.uk
As a community, we can do this