West Worcestershire MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has welcomed the appointment of a digital partner to connect the hard-to-reach parts of Worcestershire to gigabit internet connections.

Openreach has won a £41 million contract to make sure 22,000 homes and businesses across the county are able to access fast internet connections. Currently, 71 per cent of properties in West Worcestershire are able to connect to a gigabit internet service.

The MP has lobbied for increased investment to make sure that all of her constituents are able to access proper internet connectivity. She welcomed the announcement which will see Openreach working with Worcestershire County Council to identify and connect the communities which currently aren’t able to get either decent internet connections or mobile signals.

Dame Harriett said:

“I welcome this announcement, which has been a long time in the negotiations, and was budgeted for by the previous Government. I am pleased that a partner is now in place to deliver this much-needed project.

“Over the last decade, Worcestershire County Council has made great progress rolling out digital connectivity but there have always been hard-to-reach areas that still aren’t getting decent broadband or able to access the internet over their phones.

“This is a worrying digital divide and I look forward to seeing more detail on the plans to get all of my constituents onto gigabit-ready connections as quickly as possible.”