Scarborough and Whitby's MP says she's seen the results of her successful smart meter campaign in action during a visit to the Esk Valley.
After learning residents there were unable to access the technology, because long-range radio was unable to penetrate the terrain, Alison Hume pledged she would help them fight to ensure they could use the same hubs as those already commonplace in other areas of the country, including in the south of England:
"I did a big campaign on this. I put pulled together a Westminster Summit in parliament, got everybody involved, the data communications company, the suppliers, and I brought down some wonderful constituents who explained what the problem was, lobbied ministers and pushed the government and they've changed the contract so that suppliers can put in cellular hubs."
Ms Hume says she understands the frustrations of local residents:
" There's nothing more frustrating when we've got a smart meter that's in fact a D meter. The North was really badly served by a deal done years ago where we were given long range radio signal for our smart meters, whereas the south got cellular, and I think it was to do with the fact that they worried about the geography and we didn't have enough masts.
"But then we actually. Got the kind of the opportunity through more masks and development to use cellular hubs, but then the suppliers couldn't actually put them in because the contract was wrong."
Ken Hall, who lives in Sleights and led efforts on the ground, invited Ms Hume to see his home’s newly installed smart meter in action.
She paid tribute to his efforts and those of other residents and her support staff:
"It's so lovely to receive the emails and the phone calls and the letters from constituents now in the Esk Valley who've got smart meters after years have been given 3, 4, 5 meters that don't work. So I feel good about that and I was really helped by a wonderful campaign group."
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