PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Public Telephones: Greater Manchester (5 June 2023)

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department holds data on the number of BT telephone boxes in (a) Stockport constituency, (b) Stockport Borough and (c) Greater Manchester as of 5 June 2023.

Asked by:
Navendu Mishra (Labour)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not hold any data on the number of BT public telephone boxes in any given area. This is due to the fact that the public telephone box network is privately owned.

Having consulted externally with BT the Department can provide the following figures:

Public payphones in:

• Stockport Borough Council: 53

• Greater Manchester: 741

Any request for further data should be directed to the provider.

There are clear principles that BT must comply with under its Universal Service obligations, as set out in the telephony Universal Service Order, established in 2003. BT must provide public call boxes to meet the reasonable needs of users in terms of geographical coverage, the number of public call boxes and the quality of call box services. The criteria for ‘reasonable needs’ include that the public call box in question is the only one within 800 metres; there are at least 500 households within 1 kilometre, and at least 12 calls have been made from the public call box within the previous 12 months.

At least 70% of public call boxes must also offer cash payment facilities.

If BT wishes to remove a public call box, it must also notify the relevant local authority in writing, allowing 90 days for a response.

Answered by:
Sir John Whittingdale (Conservative)
12 June 2023