Council to inspect all works by CityFibre following multiple complaints
It's after complaints from locals about the standard of work and the disturbance of residents.
Every inch of the excavations and repairs done by the CityFibre’s contractors installing improved internet cabling across town will be inspected by Swindon Borough Council officers.
This follows numerous complaints to councillors and local media about the standard of work and disturbance of residents.
Councillor Jim Grant, the Labour member for Rodbourne Cheney has taken up the complaints of a number of residents in his patch.
He said: “We have had numerous complaints – whether it’s about the quality of the work and the repairs.”
After contacting officers Coun Grant was told, in an email: “All works by CityFibre will be inspected for defects shortly, we have an inspection regime in place and will not be carrying out ad-hoc inspections due to other work commitments Street Works have.
“We know that some works being carried out have become defective, but on a scheme of this scale it is expected and why Street Works will inspect all works carried out.”
Coun Grant said: “Although the work has been done by CityFibre, the roads and pavements are the responsibility of the borough council. That’s who people pay their council tax to – that’s who people can expect to maintain the roads and pavements.
“People are paying for these roads to be well kept up and I think the council should be looking to inspect these works sooner rather than later.
“If they’re waiting for everything to be finished before checking on them, I think that will be too late.”
“This infrastructure rollout covers the whole Borough and will mean Swindon gets lightning fast broadband connections, making sure homes in the town stay connected to the ever-growing online world.
“Due to the scale of this rollout, it was likely there would be disruption and we have been inspecting CityFibre’s reinstatement work as we go along to make sure it is up to standard.
“Overall we have received far fewer complaints about this kind of work when compared to other local authorities who are undertaking similar projects.
“CityFibre see the Swindon build as a flagship scheme due to the relatively small number of complaints they receive from residents and road users, they use it as a positive example to other contractors doing similar work elsewhere.
“However, where there have been issues, we have issued penalty charges to CityFibre if the work hasn’t been completed properly.”
Neil Madle, CityFibre’s Area Manager for Swindon said: “CityFibre is investing up to £40m in Swindon to bring next generation full fibre infrastructure to almost every home and business in the town, futureproofing its digital capabilities for decades to come.
“Our rollout is well underway, with work completed in several parts of the town. However, a new infrastructure project of this scale is a major undertaking, which is why we always strive to deliver as effectively and efficiently as possible. We regret that concerns have been raised in this case and we can assure residents we are working closely with the council’s Streetworks team and our build partner to rectify the issue as swiftly as possible. We would like to thank residents for their continued patience.”