These are the Harrogate areas with fastest broadband speeds

With many of us working and socialising from home because of Covid-19, the importance of a fast and reliable internet connection has never been more important.

Looking to later in the year, even as lockdown measures begin to ease, there may be many people who are reluctant to resume long commutes who then may choose to stay away from their offices for good.

But an analysis of broadband quality in Harrogate and Knaresborough shows this could be easier for some than others.

The House of Commons Library has produced estimates of average download speeds for individual areas within each parliamentary constituency across the UK.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, the fastest area was Harrogate East, where the average download speed was 80.1 megabits per second in May 2019, when the data was recorded.

This was significantly higher than the UK average of 60.9.

At the other end of the scale, the area of Boroughbridge and Marton-cum-Grafton saw an average speed of 39.8.

It means even Boroughbridge and Marton-cum-Grafton was above regular Ofcom’s definition of “superfast” downloads, which it defines as at least 30 Mbps.

The figures reflect speeds received rather than those available, as some people may have access to faster connections than the ones they pay for.

Earlier this year, the Government announced a £5 billion investment to roll out faster broadband to the hardest-to-reach areas across the nation.

But Andrew Ferguson, editor of Think Broadband, said some people could wait until 2025 to see the improvements.

He added: “With the pandemic highlighting how key broadband is for a functioning society, the need to address those worst off broadband-wise has never been clearer.”

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The House of Commons Library analysis looked at other measures, including internet availability.

In Harrogate East, 99% of premises were capable of receiving superfast download speeds in January, whether or not they were using such a service.

Meanwhile, all premises were able to receive 10 Mbps download speeds or 1 Mbps for uploads, which Ofcom deems the minimum requirement for “decent broadband”.

The Government recently wrote into law the right to request this level of service, with Ofcom estimating in December that roughly 155,000 premises across the UK could be in line to claim.

In Boroughbridge and Marton-cum-Grafton, 3% of premises were unable to get decent service, while 93% had access to superfast download speeds.

An Ofcom spokesman said: “More than nine in 10 UK households can now get superfast broadband, but some areas still struggle for a decent connection.

“Since March, anyone who is unable to get a decent broadband service has the legal right to request one.

“We’re also supporting investment in faster, full-fibre broadband for the UK – including making sure rural areas get better connections.”

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