12 March 2025
Councillor Mark Dobson, representing Garforth & Swillington, expresses disappointment over the government's failure to ban telegraph poles for broadband infrastructure, despite a letter from Minister Chris Bryant urging better community engagement.
He highlights that previous efforts with Spring Fibre successfully avoided poles, yet recent installations in Garforth have disregarded both community preferences and available underground alternatives.
Dobson urges Burgon to lobby for legislation banning poles except where absolutely necessary, citing concerns over planning and highways regulations being bypassed.