Scottish Rural Development Programme 2014-2020: ex-post evaluation - annex A scheme summary report
This annex presents findings from an independent ex-post evaluation of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) 2014 to 2020. The annex reports on each of the 15 support schemes that made up the Programme.
3. Broadband Scheme
Scheme description
The original intention of the Broadband Scheme (BS) was to make grant funding available to community groups in rural areas in Scotland to allow them to procure the services of a private sector provider to design, build and operate a broadband network in their area. The Broadband Delivery UK scheme, which is run by the UK Department of Media and Sport (now known as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and supported by State Aid, would not recognise a project as valid until the community group had completed the procurement phase.
Public expenditure
The BS was programmed to contribute to Priority 6 (Promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas), and to FA 6C. It was the only SRDP scheme programmed under FA 6C.
The BS closed early (see more detail below) and realised expenditure was around €50,000, see Table 3.1.
Focus Area |
Measure |
Sub-measure |
Total |
Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
FA 6C: Enhancing the accessibility, use and quality of information and communication technologies (ICT) in rural areas |
Measure 7 - Basic services and village renewal in rural areas |
7.3 - support for broadband infrastructure, including its creation, improvement and expansion, passive broadband infrastructure and provision of access to broadband and public e-government |
€47,069 |
100% |
Total |
N/A |
N/A |
€47,069 |
100% |
Source: Scottish Government, Annual Implementation Report 2023.
Performance indicators
A summary of the outcomes achieved by the BS is provided in Table 3.2.
Outcome Description |
Total |
|---|---|
O1 Total public expenditure |
€47,069 |
O2 Total investment |
€47,069 |
O3 Number of actions/operations supported |
4 |
Source: Scottish Government, Annual Implementation Report 2023.
The target indicator under FA 6C related to the BS was the percentage of the rural population benefiting from new or improved ICT infrastructures and services.
SG originally envisaged that 21,240 of the rural population in Scotland would benefit from new or improved ICT infrastructures and services – this equated to 0.88% of the rural population.
The BS was, however, closed as part of the sixth modification of the Programme. The scheme did not support any projects to the stage where anybody living in the rural population in Scotland benefited in terms of improved ICT services or infrastructure. The target indicator for the BS was subsequently reduced to zero and removed as part of the sixth modification of the Programme.
Scheme evaluation
The scheme closed early, and no evaluation was undertaken.
What worked well and/or less well
Not applicable.
Lessons learned
Not applicable.
Current status of the scheme
The SRDP supported BS closed in 2019.
Rural Scotland is continuing to benefit from new or improved ICT infrastructure and services via the SG R100 Programme. This is a different mechanism to the BS and is supported using alternative funding sources.
Contact
Email: SRDPevaluations@gov.scot
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