Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of rolling out Project Gigabit in Bedfordshire on local economic growth.

CityFibre is delivering a Project Gigabit contract in Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, targeted at bringing fast, reliable broadband to premises in hard-to-reach areas that are unlikely to be otherwise reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.

Digital infrastructure is a powerful driver of economic growth. The telecoms services industry contributed around 2.5% to UK real GVA in 2023, up from 0.3% in 2010.

Evidence from Building Digital UK’s earlier Superfast programme showed for every £1 spent on connections to premises left behind by the market, up to £4.57 was generated in economic and social benefits, including economic growth. We expect Project Gigabit to continue to drive local economic growth in areas which stand to benefit from the programme, including Bedfordshire.