Labour Plan Free Public WiFi

Labour announces plans to provide free public WiFi to UK high streets as part of their initiative to halt its "slow and agonizing death."

15:25 29 September 2018

Labour has announced the series of measures it plans to take to reverse the decline in the nation’s high streets. At the Labour conference in Liverpool, the party said that they plan to ensure cash access by banning ATM charges and halting bank closure. They also plan to install free public WiFi.

 

Rebecca Long-Bailey, the Shadow Business Secretary, said: "Our high streets need saving from a slow and agonising death.

 

"As part of our plan to rebuild Britain and breathe life back into our communities, Labour will scrap ATM charges, deliver free WiFi to town centres, introduce a register of empty properties, provide free bus travel for under 25s and overhaul the broken business rates system which is hammering retail.

 

"Boarded-up shops and deserted high streets are a result of years of neglect and austerity. Our country needs to radically change course so our towns can thrive again,"

 

Scottish Labour MP Ged Killen, has welcomed the proposals. He said: “In Scotland, a free-to-use ATM is closing at a rate of one a day,”

 

“This means every day a there is one less place to take out money for the school lunches or one less place to withdraw money to pay in local shops,”

 

“No one should have to pay to access their own money. If any government is serious about economic development in our towns and high streets, they need to protect the financial infrastructure people and business rely on.”

 

Mr Killen added: “This policy shows that Labour is serious and is willing to be radical in government to reverse the decline of Britain’s high streets under the Tories”.