Stuart Anderson MP has urged Broadband Minister Liz Lloyd to accelerate the delivery of broadband in South Shropshire, as the latest data reveals only 350 connections have been built so far - despite the number of contracted premises standing at 52,060 for North Herefordshire, North Wales, Shropshire, and South West Wales.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“In Parliament, I was pleased to meet Broadband Minister Liz Lloyd. When she visited Stottesdon in March, she promised that Shropshire would not be left behind in the rollout of reliable broadband. Yet, the latest figures show that Shropshire is already being neglected. Only 350 connections have been built so far under Project Gigabit, despite the number of contracted premises standing at 52,060 for North Herefordshire, North Wales, Shropshire, and South West Wales. The Minister has also said that she expects 99% of homes and businesses to have access to lightning-fast gigabit capable broadband connection by 2032. However, this has been delayed from the previous government’s target of 2030. The two-year delay means missed opportunities to plug the rural productivity gap, which reflects the fact that average earnings and access to opportunities are lower in rural parts of the country like South Shropshire.”
In Parliament on 14th April 2026, Stuart Anderson MP met Broadband Minister Baroness Liz Lloyd of Effra CBE and Callum Anderson MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Stuart also met with senior officials from Building Digital UK (BDUK) and the Digital Infrastructure Directorate of DSIT. BDUK is the organisation which is responsible for the delivery of two major programmes that include South Shropshire; Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network. The latter works with mobile operators to deliver 4G coverage to rural and remote communities.
At the meeting, Stuart raised concerns over the speed at which broadband is being rolled out in South Shropshire. The government's manifesto included a commitment to achieve full nation-wide coverage by 2030. However, the Chancellor's 2025 Spending Review delayed completion of the rollout until 2032. Minister Lloyd, who is responsible for digital inclusion and skills, visited South Shropshire in March 2026. On her trip to Stottesdon, she met with engineers from Openreach. They have been charged with installing full-fibre upgrades at 52,000 properties in North Herefordshire, North Wales, Shropshire, and South West Wales. It is part of Project Gigabit, which aims to ensure hard-to-reach areas can access fast, reliable broadband.
However, Stuart is concerned that the latest data shows slow progress on delivery. Data published on 19th March 2026 reveals that only 350 connections have been built so far. This increased from 200 in February and 80 in January 2026. With just over a hundred properties being connected each month, it could take 41 years to complete. Stuart has said that the pace of the rollout needs to quickly accelerate to meet even the new, more relaxed completion date of 2032.
Stuart has added that the failure to do so represents missed opportunities to fix the productivity gap in the rural economy. This refers to the fact that earnings and access to work and training lag behind in rural areas. Indeed, productivity in the most rural areas is only 82% of the average for England - excluding London. Stuart referred to research from the Countryside Alliance, which found that the absence of broadband infrastructure serving small firms threatens the expansion of the rural economy. The business opportunity includes 28% of all UK firms and over one million small businesses.
