Professional AdviceYou are here : In Your Area » South West » Regional News » Broadband » Broadband
The Rural Broadband Community Fund – First Round Closes this Month The Rural Broadband Community Fund, launched in November 2011, aims to target the remaining 10 percent of those in rural areas who will still have no access to broadband and is based on the CLA's proposals for a series of broadband grants.
The RCBF has funding of £20million confirmed jointly by Defra and Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), and complements BDUK's mainstream broadband rollout programme. The RCBF enables the funding of superfast broadband projects where many CLA members live - in the most hard to reach areas in England - bringing superfast broadband to a greater number of communities than would otherwise be reached. This will ensure that a greater proportion of rural businesses and consumers can take advantage of the benefits of superfast broadband. The RCBF is being delivered as part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).
The first Expression of Interest round is between 1 December 2011 and 31 January 2012. Full details of how to apply for the first round can be found in the accompanying Applicant's Handbook
http://rdpenetwork.defra.gov.uk/funding-sources/rural-community-broadband-fund
You can apply if your community is in a rural location identified as being in the 10% hard to reach area covered by your Local Authority's Local Broadband Plan (LBP), or if your LBP is not in place, if you are able to demonstrate that you will be in the 10% of hard to reach areas in your LBP when finalised.
Acting on behalf of a community, eligible applicants can be: Social enterprises; Community Interest Companies; Community trusts; Charities; Private Businesses (non-ISPs); and Other formally constituted groups.
This is a rural community scheme. However, Local Authorities may also apply on behalf of communities, or act as the managing authority for an application. Where this is the case, there must be a clear demonstration of community engagement and community support for the project.
It is recommended that communities who are interested in applying to the Fund should work closely with their Local Authorities in order to understand whether they fall within a 10% hardest to reach area, as will be identified in their Local Broadband Plan. In submitting an Expression of Interest, you will need to demonstrate that the project fits with the LBP (either agreed or under development) and the wider Local Authority investment in the area.
The RCBF will provide up to 50% of total 'eligible' costs to communities located in hard-to-reach locations who can demonstrate a local need and a demand for superfast broadband, and the ability to make it happen at a reasonable cost.
|
Contact Charlotte Sealy MSc MRICS
Have a problem - need advice? South West Office Hartham Office
Join the CLA today
The CLA Game Fair 2012
CLA Events in your area
To receive our regular email newsletter containing advice and the latest news affecting the region - contact the office or send your email address and membership number to info.southwest@cla.org.uk |
RSS Feeds
Chartered Surveyor.
- Policy Topics
- Policy Topics
- Site sections
- Specially for members
© 2012 Country Land and Business Association Limited (CLA). All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as expressly permitted by law.
Disclaimer
No responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action in reliance on or as a result of the material included in or omitted in this website can be or is accepted by the author(s), the CLA or its officers or trustees or employees or any other persons.
The Advisory Services are made available to members on the basis that members' rights to compensation and the liability (if any) of CLA and its officers and/or its staff advisers, are restricted in the following ways. In the event of any advice given by any CLA staff adviser being given negligently or otherwise being incorrect no liability whatsoever is accepted by the CLA or its officers or by its staff advisers concerned
(a) towards any person who is not the current CLA member to whom the advice was directly given,
(b) to any person in the respect of consequential loss or loss of profits, or
(c) to any person for any sum exceeding £50,000 in respect of any one enquiry (whether made or responded to orally or in writing and whether dealt with at one time or over a period of time).
Any person making use of the Advisory Services accepts such restrictions. Members should refer to appropriate professional advisers in private practice before taking any particular course of action potentially or actually involving any substantial amounts of money.
Please note that whilst the advisers are able to advise on a wide range of subjects relating to land ownership, they cannot act in place of a member's own solicitor, accountant, surveyor and tax specialist by, for example, drafting documents or corresponding on their behalf and may be precluded, by the rules of their own professions, from advising one CLA member against another CLA member in the case of conflict.
Solicitors Indemnity Fund . Solicitors in the CLA Legal Team are not covered by the Solicitors Indemnity Fund in relation to professional negligence in relation to any advice given by them.
Please note that from time to time telephone calls maybe recorded for training purposes.