Labour leader of Southwark Council Peter John and London Assembly member Val Shawcross this week met BT Openreach in what they described as a “positive and productive meeting” to discuss bringing superfast broadband to Rotherhithe.

At the meeting Peter John and Val Shawcross restated the need for an improved broadband service in the Rotherhithe peninsula.

According to Southwark Labour, BT is “actively reviewing the business case” for bringing super fast broadband to Rotherhithe.

“We promised to bring superfast broadband to Rotherhithe during the local election campaign and we remain determined to do this,” said Cllr Peter John.

“After a positive and productive meeting with BT I am confident that we will be able to progress this issue andensure that residents in Rotherhithe have access to superfast broadband.”

Val Shawcross, London Assembly member for Southwark and Lambeth, added: “I have been campaigning on this issue for many months now and the amount of correspondence I have had from frustrated Rotherhithe residents demonstrates the demand for better internet services in the area.

“Rotherhithe suffers unacceptably slow broadband speeds compared to the rest of London. The fact the council are backing the campaign to solve this problem has encouraged BT to take our concerns more seriously.

“I urge all Rotherhithe residents to complete an Openreach ‘expression of interest’ form online to make sure BT are fully convinced of this demand.”

Last week local campaigners published their own proposal for a new community-owned social enterprise to bring high-speed broadband to the area.