Just a fraction of Hemel Hempstead homes able to get fastest internet

Just a fraction of homes in Hemel Hempstead are capable of accessing full-fibre broadband, figures reveal.

A group of MPs has warned the Government's pledge of gigabit broadband for 85% of the UK by 2025 will not be met, leaving those in rural areas with slow connectivity for years to come.

Figures from the House of Commons library showed just 4.3% of households in Hemel Hempstead could receive speeds of one gigabit per second in September 2020.

This coverage differs greatly throughout the parliamentary constituency – from 28.5% of homes in Markyate, Flamstead and Gaddesden, to none in five other areas.

According to the HoC figures, 27% of UK homes can access the technology, but more recent data from Think Broadband had this at 37% by January.

The Public Accounts Committee criticised the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for not being prepared to admit sooner it would not meet a Conservative election pledge of gigabit broadband connectivity across the entire country by 2025.

It was not until November that the Government revealed it was rowing back on the target, aiming for at least 85% instead.

That original target was “unachievable”, MPs said in their Improving Broadband report, and they are concerned the reduced target will still be challenging to meet.

Meg Hillier, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said the Government cannot allow digital inequality to exacerbate the economic inequality exposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

She added: “With the grim announcement that the country and economy will be locked down for months, the Government’s promises on digital connectivity are more important than ever.

“But due to a litany of planning and implementation failures at DCMS, those promises are slipping farther and farther out of reach – even worse news for the ‘rural excluded’ who face years trying to recover with substandard internet connectivity."

Several constituencies in Hull, Yorkshire, have 98% of residents capable of accessing gigabit broadband, while just 0.3% can do the same in the Norwich South and Great Grimsby constituencies in Norfolk and North East Lincolnshire.

Figures showed the average download speed across Hemel Hempstead was 90.1 Megabits per second – though this varied between 109.3 Mbps in Grovehill, and 53.8 Mbps in Northchurch and Potten End.

The DCMS said it did not agree with the MPs' report, claiming it contained some inaccuracies.

A spokesman said: "Gigabit capable broadband is being rolled out rapidly – from one in ten households in 2019 to one in three households today.

"We expect that half of all households will have access to gigabit speeds by the end of this year, and the UK is deploying at a faster build rate than comparable countries."