WEST Oxfordshire could be among the first areas to benefit from a Government grant to increase broadband speeds.

The Cotswold Broadband Group has applied to a £20m government fund – the rural community broadband fund, which helps difficult to reach homes in rural areas.

The group’s full application for funds from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) was submitted last week.

Chipping Norton will be covered by superfast broadband from BT next year, and the project is campaigning to ensure the whole area around it – around 9,000 homes in more remote areas – is also covered.

The aim is for households and businesses to face no disadvantage from living and working in rural West Oxfordshire.

Chief executive Hugo Pickering, who lives in the hamlet of Lyneham, near Chipping Norton, said: “We are confident that the full funding we are looking for can be achievable.”

A spokesman for Defra said: “Superfast broadband is absolutely crucial for rural economic growth.

“We have promised to deliver the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015, overcoming social isolation and giving rural businesses the infrastructure they need to thrive and create jobs.”

An announcement about the level of funding the group will receive is expected in the next six weeks.

lTo find out more about the Cotswold Broadband Group, visit cotswoldsbroadband.co.uk