COUNCILLORS have expressed concern that Dales communities are missing out on better phone coverage because the wrong sort of masts are being approved.

Under a Government scheme to improve coverage for the emergency services in the Dales, a number of applications for new phone masts are going through the planning process.

However concern has been raised that monopoles are being approved instead of lattice poles.

The latter would allow commercial providers to offer better mobile phone connectivity to residents and visitors.

Upper Dales councillor John Blackie stressed the challenges that poor internet coverage poses for farmers who needed to submit forms online and for holiday accommodation businesses in areas such as Keld – where a monopole is being proposed.

He said: “Prospective visitors to these accommodation establishments expect them to be available on the web so they can place bookings, but the time delay in getting back to them in view of the lack of broadband often results in these bookings being lost.

“Visitors once they arrive in the Upper Dales expect broadband and mobile telephone service to be available and if neither is, it can very often result in them not returning again for a holiday.”

Rishi Sunak said he raised the issue in Parliament last year and also wrote to the Home Office Minister Nick Hurd, pressing the issue last summer.

He said: “Given the government is part-funding these towers, it would be appropriate for them to be made available to other providers as well.”

He said the Minister had told him that from a national, contract perspective the new masts would indeed be made available to other mobile and broadband operators to use as well as EE which is building the new emergency services mast network.

He understood that in certain locations the National Park planning authority was seeking to have monopole masts – which can only host the EE/emergency services equipment – because they were deemed to have less of an impact on the Dales landscape.

Mr Sunak added: “Local planning decisions are for the local planning authority, but I will be sure to make the National Park aware of the desire of Dales communities for good quality mobile and broadband signals.”

Mr Sunak said he was aware that further planning applications for emergency service network masts were pending in Keld, Gunnerside and Coverdale.

Lattice towers were proposed in Gunnerside and Coverdale, and a monopole mast in Keld.

Mr Sunak said he hoped the National Park authority would take account of the views of the local community when considering the mast application in Keld.