MORE than 20,000 rural homes and businesses in the Cotswolds have got faster broadband thanks to Gloucestershire County Council’s (GCC) Fastershire project, but one councillor is warning that certain communities are still in ‘black holes’ in regards to internet.

The project began in December 2012, and once complete by the end of December 2017, more than 30,000 rural premises will be able to benefit from faster connections, according to GCC.

In phase one of the project, the council invested £10million across the county, while phase two saw the contract awarded to UK broadband network Gigaclear to target a further 6,500 homes.

This will lead to another £10million – £3million from GCC and £7m from Gigaclear – investment into upgrading speeds specifically in the Cotswolds.

The council has also agreed a £500,000 investment to be match funded by Cotswold District Council (CDC) to extend phase two even further.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, leader of GCC, said: “Reaching more than 20,000 Cotswold homes and businesses with superfast and ultrafast fibre broadband is a fantastic milestone for the Fastershire project.

“Fastershire will bring many benefits to the local economy. From businesses taking advantage of improved broadband to training and support which will help residents make the most of opportunities online.

“I look forward to working with Cotswold District Council to deliver faster speeds to as many premises as possible in their district.”

However, Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, GCC (Bourton and Northleach), is “lobbying” for the “pockets of communities” without fast internet speeds.

He said: “It’s brilliant that villages in the Cotswolds have super-fast broadband. I know Colesbourne residents have also just been hooked up and they are delighted.

“However, there are still pockets of communities in places like Northleach and Coberley which are black holes – they still have no access to  fast internet speeds and I’m lobbying for them to be included in future roll outs. We do need to ensure everyone has access to these fast connections.”