LABOUR is calling for the rolling out of the council-backed superfast broadband across North Swindon to be suspended.

It comes after the recent news of BT’s successful introduction of Openreach broadband following a long campaign by residents.

In 2014, Swindon Borough Council agreed to take part in the government’s Superfast Broadband Extension Programme and agreed a deal with UK Broadband Network Ltd (UKBN) to deliver the project.

However, at the time UKBN was awarded the contract BT hadn’t brought their fibre broadband infrastructure to North Swindon.

Labour claims BT were “controversially overlooked” during the tender process.

Now North Swindon residents are satisfied with BT’s fibre broadband service, the Labour Group leader, Coun Jim Grant, has called for no further taxpayer money to be spent delivering UKBN’s broadband infrastructure.

He said: “North Swindon residents have always said they wanted fibre optic broadband and now they are getting it I think it would be wrong to invest taxpayers’ money to fund direct competition to BT. Especially competition that residents don’t want.

“Frankly, local residents and the Labour Group have said from the very beginning that the Conservative cabinet were embarking on a big mistake in rolling out the UKBN’s infrastructure.

“Thankfully huge sums haven’t been wasted yet, but now is the time to draw an end to this scheme.”

But the council has hit back.

Conservative councillor Toby Elliott, the cabinet member for strategic planning and sustainability, said: "Labour are incredibly late to the table on broadband. While they issue pointless press releases we've been getting on with doing what the public want.

Justin Tomlinson and I have been lobbying for fibre broadband for North Swindon for over five years, starting with my petition. This year we have the great news that both BT and Virgin are installing fibre across the local community.

“We have been in constant discussions with UKBN and it remains an option to remove North Swindon from contract. This is due to the market intervening thanks to our work. Labour have done nothing for North Swindon."

Last month, BT put the finishing touches to upgrading the Haydon Wick and Blunsdon exchanges, along with a number of street cabinets, in order to enable them to deliver fibre broadband to more homes in North Swindon.

Some residents have previously had broadband speeds as low as 2mb, which makes it impossible to work from home or live stream videos.