Bristol council chief states desire for fibre broadband funding

Bristol is eager to win government funding to support the rollout of fibre optic broadband services, according to city council leader Barbara Jancke.

Speaking to Insider Media, Ms Jancke said the local authority will collaborate with its business partners to "unlock multimillion-pound government investment for super-fast broadband roll out in cities".

Bristol is widely seen as one of the UK's most resilient and economically-strong cities, she added.

Last month, the Conservative-led coalition announced a shortlist of 14 locations across the country that are in line to benefit from a share of a £100 million funding pot to improve broadband connectivity.

As well as the nation's four capitals, the likes of Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester were named on the list.

Up to ten winners will be unveiled in the March Budget, with successful applicants set to receive up to 100Mbps fibre optic broadband access and super-fast mobile services.

The state aid will be used to fund rollouts in urban areas that are not covered by BT and Virgin Media.