Shropshire Star

Get us connected: Telford MP seeking talks on poor phone signals

MP Lucy Allan is seeking summit talks with phone giants to discuss how mobile signal and snail-like broadband speeds in some parts of the county can be improved.

Published

Mrs Allan, who became the first Conservative politician to win the Telford seat after beating long-serving David Wright in last month's General Election, has made getting better phone and digital links one of the top priorities as she looks to make her mark in the town.

The MP says that improvements would boost business, jobs and growth in Telford and beyond – and is also planning to write to John Whittingdale MP, the new Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, to call for better broadband service for residents across the town.

She has backed the Shropshire Star's Get Us Connected Campaign, calling for the whole of Shropshire to be covered by a decent phone signal and for improvements in high speed broadband.

Speaking today, Mrs Allan said: "Better connectivity is vital to Telford's future and I'm keen to meet with key decision-makers to help make it a reality.

"Residents in areas with poor mobile signal and slow broadband are fed-up.

"Poor digital links make it hard to set up new businesses and there is a real impact on local life.

"People often assume that these are just rural issues, but urban areas in Telford are really affected by our poor digital links."

She added: "I raised these issues with the previous Culture Secretary, and now I am calling for a meeting with the major mobile operators and the new minister John Whittingdale so we can look for solutions to these problems."

The fight to improve mobile phone signal and broadband speed is part of Mrs Allan's Plan for Telford – a published list on her website of the things she intends to campaign on during her five-year term in Parliament.

Top of her list is backing calls for a new Emergency Centre treating patients with life-threatening conditions to be sited at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, instead of at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or on a new site somewhere between the two.

High on the agenda is also transport, with the new MP calling for the town's bus service to be overhauled and more trains to be put on to take county passengers to Birmingham.

She is also leading a campaign to get some traffic lights switched off at night and at other quiet times in Telford to help keep the town moving.

Mrs Allan has vowed to try to stop what she calls Telford & Wrekin Council's "planning free for all" and in particular is calling for greenfield sites and beauty spots to be protected from development.

The MP's final vow for her first term of office is to work with county businesses and local training organisations in a bid to get more young people into work in the borough.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.