SNP Government ‘neglecting’ rural communities after R100 broadband scheme fails to deliver connections to any properties in Banff and Buchan

A North East MP has slammed the SNP Government for neglecting rural communities after new figures show no homes in Banff and Buchan have been connected to superfast broadband through its flagship R100 programme – six years since it was announced.

New statistics from the Scottish Government show not a single property across the area has been hooked up to faster internet from the scheme, which includes places such as Peterhead, Fraserburgh and Macduff.

Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid said rural communities were being “short-changed” and “left behind” by the SNP Government on broadband.

Those not covered by the R100 scheme can apply for a one-off voucher of £5,000 to help them set up a permanent superfast connection themselves but only 137 applications have been made by those living in Mr Duguid’s area.

​David Duguid says the appalling figures are a ‘slap in the face’ to his rural constituents.

Across the Banff and Buchan coast, superfast broadband access stands at around 85 per cent compared to 95 per cent for the whole of Scotland. In Aberdeenshire East, just 963 properties have benefited from the scheme while in Aberdeenshire West, 999 households have been connected. The R100 scheme was supposed to bring faster internet to 60,000 properties across the north and north-east by the end of 2021 but has only delivered to 9,320 so far.

Mr Duguid said: “For the majority of people across rural Aberdeenshire at the moment, having superfast broadband is a distant dream because the SNP’s rollout of the R100 scheme has been shambolic. Rural communities are severely lagging behind and rural communities have once again been pushed to the side in favour of the Central Belt.

“These appalling figures are a slap in the face to my rural constituents whose lives and businesses are being negatively impacted by poor broadband. The SNP’s excuse is that ‘the internet is reserved to Westminster’, but it was they who insisted that they could deliver a successful roll-out, and it is they who have failed miserably to do so. I continue to engage with the telecoms industry and UK Government Ministers, but it’s frustrating to be told that attempts to resolve the situation have to be ‘negotiated’ with the Scottish Government.”