The Connection Voucher Scheme is now closed. The £40m made available nationally for the Scheme in 2015/16 has now been fully committed.
The Scheme was funded by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of its Superfast Britain programme. Originally only available to cities, it was launched in Northamptonshire by the County Council in April 2015, working with Coventry City Council.
DCMS closed the Scheme on 16th November 2015. Over 55,000 small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) have benefitted nationally, of which more than 37,000 were awarded vouchers since April 2015.
The County Council has worked with local partners to promote take up for the scheme in Northamptonshire. Some 375 local businesses have been awarded vouchers as a result to improve their broadband connections, collectively worth more than £417,800.
DCMS has stated that businesses benefitting from a broadband connection delivered by the Scheme were reporting on average, a £1,300 per year increase in profits, with a new job being created for every four new connections. This means that for every £1 the UK Government invested in the Scheme, more than £5 should be returned to the UK economy.
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You may also be interested in the Special Business Edition of
Newsletter 16.