THE Government has extended its current call for evidence on improving broadband for households.

This was the subject of a statement from Shropshire Council in May this year, encouraging local communities and businesses to share their feedback direct to Government.

There is an online survey calling for this evidence, which now closes on June 25.

Earlier this year Darren Reynolds, head teacher at Lacon Childe School in Cleobury Mortimer, said that poor broadband was an issue for some children working from home because of the pandemic.

At the time the school was involved in a project to provide students that did not have access to machines with refurbished laptops.

The ‘call for evidence’ is designed to help with national decision-making and funding allocation for improving broadband to all households of the UK, wherever they may be.

The request for evidence focusses on the most difficult to reach areas which are called the ‘Very Hard to Reach’ (VHTR) premises. These are often in the most rural areas of the UK.

Councillor Rob Gittins, the portfolio holder with regard to digital, technology, data and insight, said more than 1,400 homes in Shropshire will not be up to standard by 2023.

“In the Shropshire Council response to Government, we say that we are currently projecting just over 1,400 premises that will still be sub superfast by 2023 across the whole of our geography without commercial or public intervention,” he said.

“These premises continue to be a priority for the Council to resolve ahead of Government delivering gigabit solutions to premises that already have good broadband as result of commercial deployments or Shropshire’s own state aided contract interventions.

“We are emphasising to Government that these remaining premises should be a priority in Project Gigabit. Shropshire has already been announced as an early intervention area.