Broadband boost for West Cumbria

Businesses in parts of West Cumbria will soon have access to a top-of-the-range broadband link which will put them on a communications par with anywhere else in the world. The Lillyhall Broadband Initiative has secured funding for a £200,000 scheme to bring broadband to the business park, with options in the future to extend it to Workington and beyond. The capital cost is being shared equally by the Lillyhall Partnership -- whose members are Cumbria County Council, the North West Development Agency and West Cumbria Development Fund -- and the European Regional Development Fund. 

Councillor Lawson Short, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member with responsibility for economic development, said: 

"Cumbria County Council is pleased to have been able to help this project through the Lilllyhall Partnership. The broadband connection will be a tremendous asset to businesses of all sizes and types in West Cumbria. They were previously at a disadvantage with other areas like Carlisle, Penrith and Barrow but this puts them at the forefront of modern communications and on at least a level footing with the rest of the world." 

The Lillyhall Broadband Initiative was set up at the suggestion of businesses on the Lillyhall estate, where difficulties were encountered in securing broadband access to the Internet. The businesses listed their IT requirements and the Initiative put together a case for funding. The contract was put out to tender and won by the north-west based telecommunications company Your Communications. Your Communications plans a radio-based system initially covering an area within a three-mile radius of Lillyhall. 

County Councillor Tim Heslop, Chairman of Lillyhall Partnership, said:   

"It will now be much easier to attract top quality businesses to west Cumbria's premiere business park which will in turn boost the economy of the whole of west Cumbria. The business park is already attracting added interest following the opening of North West Development Agency's office complex and this initiative will build on that." 

It is expected to have the system in operation by the end of August. At least 20 businesses are already signed up for a connection and more are expected to take up the opportunity. They will have fast, reliable and continuous access to the Internet and will be able to send and receive e-mails critical to their business and still make phone and fax calls over the same connection with no interruptions to the Internet service. The generous bandwidth of the connection will also allow video-conferencing. 

Keith Wareing, co-ordinator of the Lillyhall Broadband Initiative, said:   

"This is a top quality IT service which has previously been available to businesses in areas of bigger population and which is now available to West Cumbria. This is tremendous."