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In three tiny villages near Rutland, eleven residents have self funded their own high-speed broadband connection. Launched earlier this week, the villagers now receive 40Mbps broadband installed by Rutland Telecom at a cost of 37,000.

Of the three villages – Lyddington, Stoke Dry and Thorpe-by-Water just over half of the residents are connected. A cabinet with VDSL2 equipments was installed next to a BT street cabinet and Rutland Telecom paid BT to connect the cabinet to the local exchange. Broadband and voice for 30 per month are being offered to the residence with Sky TV likely to be added to the package towards the end of the year.

Villages that are unlikely to be served by the large telecoms operators have started similar community broadband projects. For instance, in Alston Cumbria a local entrepreneur is pioneering 100Mbps to several homes

The Conservative proposals are part of a wider package of measures in the Big Society manifesto and would see organisers giving advice to local people on how to set up their own neighbourhood activity groups. The plans also include the creation of a “big society bank” to fund third sector organisations and to support social enterprises operating in some of the UK’s most deprived towns.

David Cameron stated that the Tories would improve education and early years provision for deprived families in order to make opportunities more equal for all. He would also reform the Sure Start programme by introducing financial incentives for schools to attract poorer students and by transferring management of children’s centres to the voluntary sector.

The Big Society paper also contains plans to promote volunteering and to celebrate the work of community groups with an annual bank holiday day.

John Denham, the Communities Secretary, has announced a £200,000 cash injection to aid job creation and support local businesses in Minehead.
The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has authorised the money as part of its ‘Strategy for Success’ plan to ensure the survival of seaside economies. Minehead’s plight is particularly stark, with ‘multiple deprivation’ being cited in the government review.
Tacking empty high street shops, reducing the number of long-term unemployed and the improvement of workforce skills is all part of the strategy. Minehead has been selected as ‘high priority’ from 25 coastal towns. In total more than £1,000,000 will be received by coastal towns in the South West of England, including Torbay and Plymouth.

Redevelopment plans for the centre of Liverpool will be unveiled next week by the city’s young and aspiring architects.
Since the start of the year over seven workshops have been held with a group of young people who have been keen to learn all about architecture and the environment. The content of the workshops has included the design process plus actual work on a redesign of the city centre. The group’s activities have included a tour of Grosvenor’s £1bn Liverpool One development with the architects which produced the scheme’s masterplan, BDP. The culmination of their efforts will result in a high profile presentation, part of a wider national campaign called Architecture for Everyone. Architecture for Everyone was launched in 2008 in honour of the black British teenager, Stephen Lawrence, who was an aspiring architect.

The Government’s Local Authority Business Growth Incentive (LABGI) scheme has awarded Bracknell Forest Council over £100,000 for regeneration projects. Actual projects are yet to be allocated but according to a Council Finance spokesman, the money will go towards town centre projects. The cash will come from business rates and is a reward for local councils who foster and promote business growth. However, the £106,000 to be awarded is less than the £700,000 Bracknell Council has received over the past few years. But surely the reduction will mean the council must be wiser in what the money is actually spend on and it must ensure the public receives value for money?