Member Article

Liverpool SMEs to benefit from £3k broadband boost

Businesses in the Liverpool City Region will now be able to apply for grants of up to £3k to improve their broadband.

It is part of the Government’s broadband connection voucher scheme that is set to be extended by a further year.

More than 12,000 vouchers have been issued to companies around the UK including within Liverpool but from the 1 April this year businesses in Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral will also be eligible.

Liverpool’s Cabinet member for business, enterprise and investment, Councillor Gary Millar, said: “We want Liverpool to be the best digitally connected city in the UK and it is great news that the scheme is now being extended to the wider city region.

“We have a long road ahead to achieve this but the expansion of this scheme is a major leap in taking the city’s economy to the next level.

“We are competing on a global stage and investment in our digital infrastructure is a real priority for the city.”

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said: “This is fantastic news for Liverpool City Region as we know how important a fast broadband connection is for businesses across the UK.

“We want to make sure that small businesses have the technology they need to compete in the digital age.

“This scheme will help tens of thousands of small businesses around the UK and I urge all Liverpool City Region businesses to apply for a voucher from April 2015 onwards.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .