Simon Hughes MP has written to the Mayor of London to raise residents’ concerns about slow broadband speeds in Rotherhithe and Surrey Docks.

The Mayor of London is responsible for distributing the government’s £25 million Urban Broadband Fund.

Following several complaints from residents in Rotherhithe and Surrey Docks, earlier this year Simon Hughes MP raised the issue with BT, internet service providers and the culture secretary Maria Miller MP.

Despite Ofcom’s recent report that the average broadband speed in the UK is 9Mbps, with some internet service providers advertising considerably higher speeds, Rotherhithe residents have reported speeds which struggle to reach 2Mbps.

“I am very concerned that people in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe are experiencing unacceptably low broadband speeds,” said Simon Hughes.

“Not only is this incredibly frustrating for people using internet in their homes, it is also harmful for businesses in the area. It is unbelievable that people living and working in between the major hubs of London Bridge and Docklands have such poor download speeds.

“Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of passing the buck on this issue between BT, internet service providers and the government. I am urging the Mayor of London to use the extra government funding to improve broadband connections for residents and businesses in Rotherhithe and I will continue to do all I can to make sure my constituents enjoy broadband speeds which you would expect from a global city in the 21st century.”

However, according to a recent written answer to Lib Dem London Assembly member Stephen Knight, there is little hope of the £25 million allocated by the Mayor being used to help SE16 residents and businesses.

Boris Johnson says that the cash will be spent on four projects including fibre broadband in ‘Tech City’, wireless provision along the Docklands Light Railway, gigabit internet for the Royal Docks area and ultrafast broadband for high-density social housing estates.