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Written question asked by Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 29 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 June 2026 (named day). It was answered by Kanishka Narayan (Labour) on Wednesday, 3 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Project Gigabit: Harpenden and Berkhamsted

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, following the announcement on 26 May 2026 regarding the cancellation of later-stage Project Gigabit contracts, how many premises in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency will no longer be eligible to receive gigabit-capable broadband connectivity under that programme.

Answer

Building Digital UK (BDUK) and CityFibre have recently agreed changes to the scope of its Project Gigabit contracts to reflect updated commercial rollout plans and wider market conditions. Updated market data shows that a significant number of premises are now expected to receive gigabit-capable broadband through commercial rollout. These contracts have therefore been changed to minimise overlap and ensure best use of public funding.

As a result of these changes, approximately 1,700 premises in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency have been removed from the later stages of CityFibre’s Project Gigabit contracts. Across Hertfordshire, approximately 5,140 premises have been removed from contracts.

As of September 2025, 200 of the premises removed from scope of the contracts in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, and 1,120 premises removed in Hertfordshire, had access to a gigabit-capable connection. BDUK will be publishing the outputs from the latest Open Market Review (OMR) on 4 June, which will update these figures as well as show the extent of further commercial plans.

For premises that remain outside suppliers’ commercial plans following these changes, BDUK is working to include them in alternative Project Gigabit interventions as soon as possible, in line with our commitment to achieving nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
5117
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Project Gigabit Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk