Telecoms provider WightFibre is being asked to answer to the Isle of Wight Council over alleged ‘chaos’ it causes across the Island when installing cables.
In 2017, WightFibre was awarded £35 million to build a ‘full-fibre, future proof, ultrafast broadband network’ across the UK’s first Gigabit Island.
The installation began in 2018 and is looking to provide broadband speeds of one gigabit to 70,000 homes and businesses on the Island.
Islanders, however, have faced disruptions and diversions while the cables are installed and sometimes at short notice, one councillor said.
Called to Scrutiny Committee
Asking to bring the network providers into one of the council’s scrutiny committee meetings, Cllr Michael Lilley said it was time WightFibre was brought to account on behalf of the residents of the Island.
Bosses at WightFibre said they would be more than willing to explain the standards they set themselves to the committee.
Lilley: ‘Patchwork pavements and horrendous disorganisation’
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the corporate scrutiny committee, Cllr Lilley, who is also mayor of Ryde, said he was sure all councillors had experienced the installation across the Island and ‘probably witness everyday the patchwork pavements and horrendous disorganisation’ in laying the cables.
He said,
“Whole towns, like Ryde, get completely blocked up because WightFibre put diversions through areas where they are not doing work, with no real consultation with Island Roads or the highways team.”
Irvine: ‘Fully engaged with Island Roads’
WightFibre’s chief executive, John Irvine, however says they are ‘fully engaged with Island Roads and work can only proceed when permitted by them.’
He said,
“We do, therefore, co-ordinate closely with Island Roads. WightFibre will be happy to make this clear to the council’s scrutiny committee.
“Further, WightFibre typically reinstates our work to a higher standard of repair than the original condition of the footway or roadway. WightFibre will also be happy to make this clear to the scrutiny committee.
“If we do get approached by the Scrutiny Committee we will respond to them directly”
Lilley: Pushed other works back two years
Cllr Lilley said his residents had been told Island Roads would be resurfacing their area but WightFibre ‘suddenly, unannounced were digging up’ the roads, pushing back the other works by over two years.
The council’s director of neighbourhoods, Colin Rowland, said WightFibre was on an improvement plan but it would be good to bring Island Roads to the meeting as well to hear both sides of the story.
Jordan: Couple more years of installation
Cllr Phil Jordan, the cabinet member for infrastructure and transport said WightFibre would be installing cables for another couple of years, so if it took two or three months to bring them in, ‘would not make a lot of difference to the chaos it causes’.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is part of. Read here to find about more about how that scheme works on the Island. Some alterations and additions may have been made by News OnTheWight. Ed
