Free seafront wi-fi plan rejected over costs

Plans to install free public wi-fi in part of a seaside town have been rejected because councillors believed the cost of maintaining it were not good value for money.

If approved, installation costs and fees for the first year of maintenance for the free wi-fi on Filey's seafront would have been paid by North Yorkshire Council.

But turning down the plan, Filey town councillors said later annual maintenance costs of £2,380, plus the cost of access point replacement, were disproportionate to the scale of the service.

A recent council report stated the scheme would only benefit visitors and residents "in a very small area", while businesses would not benefit as the wi-fi was "not secure".

The scheme "did not represent good value for money for all residents, as the costs going forward for a service that did not meet the town's requirements were significant", Filey councillors said.

However, Filey Town Council has said that its Finance and General Purposes Committee would "look into alternatives that would provide a more suitable and inclusive service for Filey".

Free public wi-fi is currently available in 20 towns across North Yorkshire via the authority's provider NYnet, including in Scarborough, Whitby, Thirsk, Malton, and Harrogate, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

North Yorkshire Council has said that it was "exploring how this technology could be used to promote local shops and services and create a different town centre experience".

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