Issue details
Change Request approvals for the Stage 3 Gigaclear contracts
Fastershire the deployment of broadband across
Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, using public funds where
commercial providers wouldn’t invest independently because of
the cost of delivery would be more than their return on
investment.
The decision was made by both Herefordshire Council and
Gloucestershire County Council in December 2019 to increase the
budget of the Gigaclear contracts by up to 10% in order to reach
more premises.
http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=6494
The recommendations were that:
(a) £1.8m of additional subsidy is used to extend the scope
of the Gigaclear contracts (subject to state aid approval), in
order to extend the full fibre broadband network to no less than
5,485 extra premises of which at least 872 premises do not
currently receive superfast broadband;
(b) The Assistant Director Corporate Support be authorised to take
all operational decisions necessary to implement the above
recommendation.
It is the premises with under 30Mbps (referred to as NGA White)
that the funding was targeted to reach with the additional
‘NGA Grey’ premises (already able to access 30Mbps)
receiving an uplift from FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) to FTTP (fibre
to the premise). This ‘overspill’ will ultimately
reduce the longer term challenge as the target moves from superfast
to full fibre capability in the future.
Following an adaption of the project finance models to cater for
BDUK’s request to focus the contracts on a subset of 493
benefitting premises, the required funding has reduced to
£1.55m and an increase in Gigaclear’s proposed
contribution by £189k. Aside from the ‘white’
premises, a further 4,993 will also benefit. A total of 835 of the
5,486 benefitting premises do not currently have access to
superfast broadband.
Note: report contains table with Lot information
It is agreed that these changes be formally encapsulated in a
series of Deeds of Variation. It is also agreed that the changes
proposed within the Lot 3d area are incorporated into the Lot 3d
Deed so it does not inhibit the closure of the near complete Lot
3d.
Decision type: Non-key
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Notice of proposed decision first published: 26/04/2021
Decision due: 23 April 2021 by Assistant director Corporate Support (Historic)
Contact: Natalia Silver, Service Director - Corporate Services Email: nsilver@herefordshire.gov.uk Tel: 01432260732.
Decisions