Residents without superfast broadband are being failed by the council, and the county is not doing enough to provide them with a “basic utility”, an opposition councillor has claimed.

Surrey County Council allocated £3.8 million from government funding to extend fibre infrastructure to “as many of the 15,300 premises (in Surrey unable to access superfast broadband) as possible”, at a cabinet meeting this week.

Most of the 15,300 premises – a figure representing less than four per cent of the county – are in the south and east of the county.

Your Local Guardian:
Surrey County Hall

Five years ago, the council had decided to prioritise superfast broadband for “all Surrey’s businesses, households and community organisations”.

Since then, the council has spent more than £25 million providing fibre optic broadband to more than 86,000 people who were previously without it.

Deputy Leader of the council, Peter Martin said that the council has "no legal responsibility" to do this.

Your Local Guardian:

But Councillor Hazel Watson (pictured above), leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council said rural areas – which are also often blighted by a lack of mobile phone signal – would still miss out under future extensions, at the meeting on Tuesday, December 13.

Cllr Martin said extending fibre infrastructure to the more remote regions of the county would not offer “value for money”.

Cllr Watson said: "The investment announced today is insufficient to enable all 15,300 properties without access to superfast broadband to receive a service.

“This contradicts the original plans by the county council which was to provide almost 100 per cent coverage of superfast broadband across Surrey.”

She added: "In this digital age, Superfast Broadband is a necessity to access Government information and services.

“It is a basic utility which must be provided to all Surrey premises.”

Cllr Watson called on the council to “provide more funding” to ensure universal access to superfast broadband throughout the county.

Your Local Guardian:

But deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for economic prosperity, Peter Martin (pictured above), said he was surprised at Cllr Watson’s calls to use “funds that we do not have.”

“The technology is perfectly straightforward: you have to have trench work and you get the fibre in.

“But, the further you go, the more expensive it costs.

“With each tranche of people that we reach it becomes more and more expensive.”

He added: “I’m sure that people would agree that perhaps the last premise in the county may cost many, many millions of pounds – would that be right for public money to go to, say, one person?

“I think not.”

What do you think? Comment below, or get in touch at craig.richard@london.newsquest.co.uk