The new Mayor of Tyneside, Linda Arkley, has today decided to call a halt to the council’s plans for free broadband for every home in the borough. The plan, which was announced by the former Mayor John Harrison, had attracted very complementary headlines and placed the Tyneside area at the top of the UK broadband technology pile. However, with a £14 million black hole in the council’s budget the new Mayor has decided to call a halt to the program after only a few weeks in charge.
While this is a major blow for the area, many people believe that the initial announcement was politically motivated and aimed at grabbing votes as we move towards the next general election. Whether this is true or not, there is no doubt that the growing black hole in the council’s budget is causing more concern by the day. It is no surprise that the broadband promise has been withdrawn and ultimately many taxpayers in the area will be relieved because they would at some stage have been expected to pay for the service – whether directly or indirectly.
This move by Tyneside Council could well be the start of a major rethink by various local authorities around the UK who have so far made promises regarding broadband which they have been unable to keep.