A new voucher scheme has given the green light for the roll-out of superfast rural broadband in Cumbria.

The scheme launched earlier this month and picks up where previous vouchers left off at the end of March.

Cumbria County Councillor Matt Brereton welcomes the new scheme, which will offer certainty to those communities across Cumbria that are working or hoping to work with Broadband for the Rural North, or B4RN, to bring the world's fastest broadband to rural areas.

Cllr Brereton, who represents High Furness division, said: "Since September last year, I have been working with Simon Fell MP, local councillors, our town and parish councils and residents to increase awareness about what B4RN can offer and build the levels of interest required to pay for the infrastructure to be installed.

"The old voucher scheme via the Department for Culture Media and Sport, funded via the Borderlands Growth Deal and match-funded by Cumbria County, was sufficient for communities to club together to pay for B4RN to cover the costs of installing superfast connections for everyone who wants it.

"Each residence qualifies for £3,500 and each business £7,000, with primary schools and places of worship being hooked up for free by B4RN. It's an extraordinary business model that ensures no property is left behind, with speeds as fast as anywhere in the world available once connected to the B4RN core network. B4RN is not-for-profit, so can lay fibre and offer a broadband service far cheaper than any of the main competitors.

"We have representatives working to spread the word and build interest to sufficient levels to start the process across all of Furness, and B4RN has even employed a dedicated community co-ordinator for our area. However at the end of March when the old voucher scheme ended there was some concern the next funding wave of more than £5bn from the Government would be dished out differently and might mean B4RN's schemes would no longer be cost-effective.

"I am pleased to say this is not the case and those who still want faster broadband can sign up via gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk to join those who already registered for vouchers under the previous scheme to fund a B4RN connection for their area. As soon as B4RN has enough registrations of interest from each community, it will be able to register the prospective scheme and start to make plans for securing permissions from landowners to lay the fibre network. It really is all systems go.

"I have worked with local volunteer co-ordinators in each parish over the past six months to find information, to liaise with B4RN and to create leaflets that we plan to use to spread the work among friends, family, neighbours and colleagues about the merits of B4RN.

"We've been keeping people updated through social media, but we are aware not everyone uses these sites so we hope with lockdown easing that folk can start to spread the word by posting leaflets through doors and talking to neighbours to get them to register interest via www.b4rn.org/b4rn-service/register-an-interest.

"We hope the renewed voucher scheme means for communities like Kirkby Ireleth, Duddon Parish, Lowick, Torver, Coniston and Hawkshead, work can now push on full steam ahead to bring the world's fastest broadband to homes and businesses that have been missed out or left behind in previous roll-outs. It really is very exciting and positive news."