For the same reason as taxpayers pay out for any number of business support grants, loans, Business Gateway type organisations, etc. It's not about paying me so much as it's about investing in means of doing business other than the traditional everyone-pile-on-the-0630-to-StPancras model - investment with the intention of realising a return.
A resilient, decentralised economy is less vulnerable to upsets in the transport system (whether that be weather, roadworks or striking tube drivers) and, crucially, is lower carbon as well as creating new tax income streams for HMG.
---------- Post added at 16:04 ---------- Previous post was at 15:59 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ignitionnet
For all the discussion of terrifyingly expensive services for people as remote as you most services are terrifyingly expensive to provide  |
I know that ... but look at it this way. We have had estimates to get the road outside our house relaid, as it's 50 years old and arguably beyond patching. The cost to completely remove and re-lay it is in the region of £50,000 (a cost that, if it ever came to it, is thankfully shared with the neighbours).
The cost of replacing tarmac roads is absolutely vast - but nobody would argue against replacing them when necessary, wherever they are, regardless of how remote.
My argument is that in our modern economy, fast internet connectivity should be seen as just as important as a serviceable road. The argument should be over exactly how the universal data highway is built and maintained, not whether or not it should be done.