THE council is being urged to get tough with TalkTalk after a “string of complaints” and “alarming revelations” about the company’s work installing fibre optic broadband in York. And one councillor accused the company of talking £36,000 of fines down to just £10,000. TalkTalk is currently building a full fibre broadband network in the city, which, when complete, will make York the first Ultra Fibre Optic (UFO) city in the country, with internet speeds of more than 900 Mb. But Cllr Kallum Taylor (Labour, Holgate) said residents have complained about disruption caused by the construction work, including damage to driveways and paths and vehicles blocking driveways, pavements and roads. He added that workers failed to help one disabled woman who could not get over a temporary plastic ramp in her wheelchair. Cllr Mary Cannon (Labour, Holgate) said: “We fully appreciate that these works will help many people in Holgate and across the city, and that sometimes disruption is unavoidable, but we’ve had all sorts of complaints coming in about these works since the summer and the overall position doesn’t seem to be changing.” And Cllr Taylor accused TalkTalk of negotiating their way out of “significant fines” from the council for not meeting the service level agreement, saying in July the company talked more than £30,000 of fines down to about £10,000. He urged City of York Council to get tough: “The more I hear, the more disappointed I am in how the council have handled this. For the sake of residents, and even itself as an organisation, I really hope it steps up and is much firmer in enforcing the standards that TalkTalk need to meet, and if need be - as many other councils do - they should not be afraid of putting a formal improvement notice against TalkTalk’s name.” A spokesman for TalkTalk said: “We work closely with the City of York Council to ensure all construction processes are followed correctly and always aim to complete work to a high standard as quickly as possible. In common with all major construction projects, we are accountable to the council if we are found to be in breach of our responsibilities. “While we recognise building a full fibre network will, at times, be disruptive to residents, we are committed to working closely with residents to respond to any problems and minimise disruption wherever possible. "We have an extensive communications plan in place to make sure residents know what type of work will happen on their street before our teams arrive. In addition, we have a 24 hour care line for residents to contact us should they have any queries and encourage any residents with concerns to get in touch with us.” The council did not confirm how much TalkTalk owes in fines but said they are currently “in conversation” with the company about how to improve their installation work. Neil Ferris, corporate director of economy and place at the council, said: “The council will continue to hold any utility provider, including Talk Talk, to account for the quality of work they undertake and in restoring our streets to their previous condition. “We will continue to work closely with all providers carrying out these works in order to minimise disruption for our residents and currently we are in conversation with Talk Talk to help improve their performance. “I would encourage anyone with any concerns over works taking place in their streets to contact their relevant utility provider, or the council, so the issue can be resolved as swiftly as possible. “Public and private sector investment is bringing huge benefits to our residents and businesses, making York the UK’s most digitally connected city."
UK is under pressure to get tougher with York after residents complained about disruption caused by work being undertaken by the company. TalkTalk , which is installing a full fibre network that will make TalkTalk the The City of York Council ’s first ultra fibre optic city, is accused of repeatedly damaging driveways and blocking access. Councillors were also unhappy about TalkTalk re-negotiating fines for service level agreement breaches to obtain reductions of more than 60% . Councillors urged the council to take firmer action, with one saying the council could consider putting a formal improvement notice against TalkTalk 's name.