Alex Neil demands Scottish inclusion in urban broadband scheme

Scotland's Infrastructure and Capital Investment Secretary Alex Neil has pledged to pressure the UK government to include Scottish cities in the newly-announced urban broadband funding scheme.

Chancellor George Osborne revealed in this month's Budget speech that a £50 million cash pot has been created to support the rollout of ultra-fast fibre optic broadband in ten cities.

The funding comes in addition to £100 million of public money for fast broadband in ten of the UK's largest municipalities - Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Bradford, Newcastle, Manchester and the four capitals.

Mr Neil said he will urge Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to consider Scottish cities in the initiative when he meets with him in the near future, reports the Perthshire Advertiser.

"We must do all we can to ensure other Scottish cities such as Inverness, Aberdeen, Stirling, Dundee and Perth benefit from this funding," he stated.

Perth is eligible for the financial support after being granted city status as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas has already confirmed that Brighton and Hove will bid for a share of the £50 million broadband fund.