News

Superfast broadband rollout criticised

Published

8 years ago

April 19, 2016

Ed Hunt: Superfast boss was grilled by audience

A MEETING was held on Wednesday for those living in rural communities to express their concerns over the BT Superfast internet rollout.

The Director of Superfast Cymru, Ed Hunt, attended the meeting, held at Whitland Memorial Hall, to answer questions from those concerned about delays and omissions from rollout. BT has claimed that 95% of the population of Wales will have access to fibre broadband.

Although the meeting started at 6pm, the hall was packed to capacity, with more than 80 people in attendance. It was immediately evident that the topic resonated with many in the area.

Most of those present were from the rural west Carmarthenshire and east Pembrokeshire area, where a number of communities are hampered by very slow internet speeds – down to less than a megabyte per second (MBPS). By contrast, those receiving the full benefits of the Superfast upgrade will reach speeds of 24-32 MBPS.

Mr Hunt began by pointing out that the reason that the Welsh Governmentsubsidised scheme had been rolled out was ‘because no communications company wanted to take the risk.’

“I’m not the problem – I’m fixing the problem,” he added, stating that without BT there would be no Superfast Broadband at all in the region.

Defending criticisms that the rollout was too slow, Mr Hunt claimed that the Welsh rollout by BT was the fastest in the UK. He added that New Zealand, which he described as a similar kind of country to Wales, aimed to have reached 85% of people by 2023. “Wales will have achieved that by next year,” he said.

It was also claimed that Wales was in a better position in terms of Superfast coverage than France, Germany, the United States, and the rest of the UK.

However, Mr Hunt acknowledged that ‘you guys are here because you haven’t got it – I understand.’

He explained that the contract with the Welsh Government did not cover 100% of Welsh houses, and expressed doubt that in some cases it was even possible to provide a service. “Some people here are not going to get good news,” he added, before explaining that there were certain grants available from the Welsh Government to assist in these cases.

Mr Hunt also pointed out that those present were in a minority in more ways than one, and that only around 12% of the population of Carmarthenshire had taken up the Superfast option. In Pembrokeshire, around 25% had.

“Providers won’t come down here, because there is not the clamour for the service that people think there is,” he claimed.

However, a number of residents present seemed less-than-convinced with the glowing picture painted. Whether or not, as was implied, this was because most of those present were among the have-nots, the questions from the floor offered a wide-ranging criticism of the rollout and general BT policy in the region.

Simon Hart MP, who organised the meeting, pointed out that vagaries in the rollout times had stopped people taking up temporary solutions like satellite internet for fear of losing out financially.

In response to a point made by Mr Hunt, who had said that BT was willing to work with customers in locations outside the rollout if they were willing to carry out some of the infrastructure work or costs themselves, he pointed out that a pensioner in his constituency had been quoted £180,000 by BT to get the full service.

Mr Hunt said that this ‘illustrated the difficulties of the project.’ He suggested that possibly a local resident with a JCB might like to lend a hand to keep the costs down.

BT was accused of neglecting the existing network in the race to install fibre-optic cable, with a number of people claiming that they had been without the internet for lengthy periods over the winter due to repeated cable breakages.

One Whitland resident pointed out that they were unable to get even 1MBPS ‘one-and-a-half miles from the A40’ and asked why it wasn’t possible to get even 2MBPS through the existing copper network.

Mr Hunt’s claim that ‘we don’t have a reliability problem’ was met with a chorus of ‘no, we do’ from the audience. He pointed out that he was ‘not in business to provide a 2MBPS service’ and advised the questioner to ‘take it up with the Welsh Government.’

An audience member from Meidrim pointed out that work there had been delayed for several months because the cable had to cross a level crossing.

In response, Mr Hunt said: “I don’t have to deliver to your house by the end of March, but I have to deliver to a certain number of properties across Wales. If we have snags, I am entitled to move engineers when I see fit.”

Another Meidrim resident was somewhat disgruntled that a fibre cable between two exchanges ran past her garden gate, while she was only able to get 2KBPS internet in her house.

The number of properties which would actually benefit from ‘Superfast’ speeds of more than 15MBPS was also questioned, given that any property more than 1.5km from a cabinet would only get fast broadband. The Village Clerk for Martletwy claimed that she had checked online, and out of 300 properties in the area only 15 would get the full Superfast benefits.

Several representatives of the business community pointed out that good broadband service was essential for attracting and running businesses in the region. Given the focus on tourism in west Wales at present, it was also noted that decent internet speeds were a priority for those booking holiday cottages, which often tend to be in more remote areas.

In response to those who asked why south east Wales had received the service upgrades first, Mr Hunt replied that due to the project being delayed by external forces at the beginning of the rollout, BT had been forced to concentrate on areas with higher population density in order to meet the targets set and avoid jeopardising EU grant money.

As the tone of the questions became increasingly heated, Mr Hunt said: “I can’t give all the people the answer they want tonight. I didn’t have to come here, but I am happy to.”

He also reiterated that: “if it wasn’t for BT coming in and putting money on the table, you would have nothing.”

It is worth noting that BT has made a £220m investment in the project, which has an estimated payback time of 15 years.

Mr Hart pointed out that in his opinion, given where internet provision was in this region 5-10 years ago this was ‘still a good news story’. He also refuted Mr Hunt’s claim that all those present were there because they didn’t have access to the service: “We are all here not just because we don’t have Superfast broadband, but because of confusion about when we are going to get it,” he added.

However, the last word was had by a gentleman who referred back to previous concerns about copper cables from exchanges to houses: “Superfast broadband is theoretical, and will remain entirely so for everyone in this room until the copper cables are replaced,” he said.

After the meeting, a number of one-to-one sessions were had with audience members, who received answers to specific questions about service provision.

Speaking to audience members, a number believed Mr Hunt had been somewhat arrogant in his approach, and his remark that he ‘didn’t have to come here’ was quoted more than once. However, others were more encouraged, with one lady saying he was ‘a brave man for coming!’

A common theme was a perceived lack of maintenance to the existing system – something that Mr Hunt had earlier refuted – and the communication between the company and residents was described as ‘abysmal’.

Simon Hart said that he hoped the meeting had been ‘the first of a process’.

When we suggested that these problems were only experienced by a small minority of residents, he said: “I don’t buy the argument that most people are happy. As long as one person is left out in the cold we should pursue this vigorously.

“We have heard quite legitimate concerns tonight. People understand that this is a slow, expensive process, but want to hear the truth, and to have things explained to them.

“I hope that the BT representatives leave here tonight realising that it is not all a good news story.”

However, Mr Hart refuted criticism of Mr Hunt’s perceived ‘arrogance’: “If I was in their shoes, if your life is spent working for BT, I think you will be quite defensive,” he said.

“What tonight was about was saying that yes, we are grateful, but there are areas that need to be addressed.”

Community

County Hall to offer space for community banking

Published

17 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Bruce Sinclair Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL for Pembrokeshire County Council to potentially change its banking arrangement with Barclays, after it closed its Haverfordwest branch has been turned down, but County Hall is to offer space for community banking.

Barclays Bank, on the town’s High Street, is to close on May 10.

The council has had a banking services contract with Barclays since 2013.

Councillor Huw Murphy, in a notice of motion heard by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet meeting of April 22, asked the council to review its banking arrangements with Barclays following the announced closure.

e said the loss of a branch “not only impacts upon town centres and businesses but also disproportionately impacts the elderly who are less likely to embrace on-line banking options”.

A report for Cabinet members said, in terms of the impact on Pembrokeshire residents, Barclays has said that it is “not leaving Haverfordwest and [will] continue to provide face-to-face support for those who need it” via community locations.

Two options were presented to Cabinet: to retender the banking services contract, and, the favoured, to work with Barclays to ensure a community location is set up in Haverfordwest.

Members heard the costs associated with moving to a new banking service provider could be in excess of £50,000.

For the second, favoured option, members heard Barclays was in discussions with the council about a location for potential community banking.

Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance Cllr Alec Cormack, after outlining the risks in the report for members, and moving the notice be not adopted, said he had “considerable sympathy” with Cllr Murphy’s notice.

He told councillors there was a glimmer of light for banking arrangements in the county, with an agreement now signed for two ground floor rooms at County Hall, Haverfordwest, to be used for community banking.

From April 25, the rooms will be available on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, members heard.

Cabinet Member for Planning & Housing Delivery Cllr Jon Harvey also said he had “a lot of sympathy” for the motion, adding: “It’s excellent news a deal has been struck to occupy the ground floor rooms three days a week; hopefully this will mitigate, to a certain amount, the closure.

“If we can work with the respective banks to get a community-type approach let’s move forward.”

News

Haverfordwest interchange: Next stage of £19m project backed

Published

17 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Bruce Sinclair Local Democracy Reporter

The second stage of building Haverfordwest’s near-£19m transport interchange has been backed, with senior councillors hearing it could cost the council more to not support it.

The transport interchange, which includes an integrated bus station and construction of a new multi-storey car park, is part of a wider series of regeneration projects in the county town.

The total cost of the scheme in the approved budget is £18.881m, £1.987m from Pembrokeshire County Council; the remainder, £16.894m, from an already-awarded Welsh Government grant.

To date, £3.425m has been spent on advanced works, including the demolition of the old multi-storey car park and a temporary bus station.

Members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, meeting on April 22, were recommended to approve the award of the Stage 2 construction contract for the Haverfordwest Transport Interchange.

The report for members listed two simple options for Cabinet, to authorise the award of a contract, recommended, or to not.

For the latter it warned: “It is envisaged Welsh Government will withdraw the funding awarded and the council would need to repay grants received to date; £10.322m has been received to date of which £3.376m has been offset against expenditure.”

It added: “Cost to cease this project could cost PCC more in terms of grant repayment and any capital work required to make good. PCC match contribution for the project is forecast as £1.987m of the £18.881m.”

Planning permission for the interchange was granted in 2022, with a temporary bus station constructed that year and the old multi-storey building demolished in 2023.

That year, members of the county council’s Cabinet agreed a temporary car park will be sited on the demolished remains of the old multi-storey car park until the Haverfordwest Public Transport Interchange – delayed as no compliant tender had been found at the time – is built.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller said: “The interchange is an important part of the regeneration of Haverfordwest, it will not regenerate Haverfordwest on its own, it is part of a wider process. The alternative to us being engaged is we simply allow it to decline and fail.”

He said the interchange was about “making it easier to visit Haverfordwest,” making parking provision “really straightforward, making it easy and convenient as possible”.

Cllr Miller said not progressing with the scheme would risk the grants already obtained, meaning the council could potentially foot the bill for costs to date, at a greater level than progressing.

He said the cost options were a near-£2m subsidised council involvement for the whole scheme or the £3m-plus spent to date if the scheme was ended, which would leave the car park as it is now.

“It’s pretty reasonable that if they give us the money and we don’t build a transport interchange they’ll be looking for that money back,” Cllr Miller said.

He said previous figures from parking revenue – back in 2019 – amounted to £100,000 a year; and could be expected to at least double on a “like-for-like” basis following the increase in parking charges.

Members, after a private and confidential session over the actual contract details, agreed to proceed with the scheme, awarding the contract to Kier Construction Western and Wales.

Charity

RNLI prepare for summer with medical training exercise in Pembrokeshire

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RNLI lifeguards from the north Pembrokeshire team, volunteers from St Davids RNLI and St Davids Coastguard Rescue Team came together at Whitesands beach on Thursday (18 April), for a multi-agency medical training exercise. Pembrokeshire RNLI lifeguards and St Davids volunteer lifeboat crew took part in a multi-agency medical training exercise alongside St Davids Coastguard Rescue Team in preparation for the upcoming summer season.

The Coastal Medicine programme was set up six years ago at the suggestion of clinicians from Hywel Dda University Health Board. The aim of the programme is train lifeguards, lifeboat crews and HM Coastguard teams in working collaboratively when responding to medical incidents on the coast.

Clinicians from Hywel Dda work with RNLI staff to design exercises simulating mass-casualty incidents on land and afloat. The exercises allow lifeguards, lifeboat crews and Coastguard teams to practise and test their rescue response and casualty care.

The simulated incident at Whitesands involved a medical incident at sea leading to a boat going out of control and ploughing through a group of swimmers causing multiple injuries. RNLI lifeguards responded to casualties on the beach while St Davids inshore and all-weather lifeboat crews dealt with the situation at sea. St Davids Coastguard Rescue supported RNLI colleagues as they would in a real-life scenario.

In total there were six casualties to treat, all of whom were given the immediate medical care by the teams on scene. As in a real-life scenario, they were then prepared to be handed over to the care of the Ambulance Service.

Roger Smith, RNLI Area Lifesaving Manager said: ‘The scenario was based on a real-life incident, it’s so important that we train in dealing with challenging situations.

‘The RNLI lifeguards, lifeboat crew, and the Coastguard rescue team worked really well together collaborating together to achieve the best possible result.

‘The feedback from all the participants was really positive, and our medical colleagues were very complimentary about the competence shown and the inter-agency co-operation.

‘This scenario training gives confidence to our lifeguards and lifeboat crews, and ensures the teamwork and communication is already in place ready for real-life incidents.’

Martin Charlton, an RNLI lifeguard in north Pembrokeshire said:

‘Last night’s exercise was a great opportunity for me and my colleagues on the lifeguard team to upskill ahead of the summer season.

‘We regularly attend incidents in the season that require a multi-agency response. These scenarios are a brilliant opportunity to prepare for the the most challenging situations.