Decision details

Decision

(i)         That authority be delegated to the lead member for Economic Growth & Skills in consultation with the lead member of Corporate Development & Change and the Executive Directors for Place and Corporate Development to approve Change Control(s) under the Superfast Dorset Phase 3 Ultrafast contract to incorporate funding derived from the DEFRA Rural Broadband Infrastructure grant award, released from in life contractual changes and from current programme underspends into the existing contract, to the contracted maximum public funding contribution of £8.9m

(ii)        Note that the Change Control process requires that the proposal(s) from BT (Openreach) described above would be subject to central government assurance (Building Digital UK and Rural Payments Agency for DEFRA) and Dorset Council’s own assurance (to include Superfast Dorset, Finance and Legal consultation) prior to seeking to enter into contract.

(iii)       Notes that the values presented within the report to Cabinet on 3 September 2019 were subject to finalisation within the contractual limits specified under recommendation (i) above.

Reason for the Decision

To further the Council’s corporate plan focus on Enabling Economic Growth through maximising the level of external funding drawn into Dorset to extend the provision of superfast broadband services to rural areas.

Central government commissioned research suggests that a £1 investment in NGA broadband returns a £20 increase in GVA for the local economy.