AN independent report commissioned by BT to highlight its regional economic contribution has revealed the telecommunications giant generated £192 million in North Yorkshire in the past year.

The report, by Regeneris Consulting, also shows that BT, which operates its telephone exchange building in Stonebow, supports nearly 15,400 jobs in Yorkshire and the Humber, of which more than 2,700 are in North Yorkshire, through direct employment, its spending with contractors and suppliers and the spending of employees.

In employment terms, BT’s impact in 2014-15 was larger than the civil engineering sector in Yorkshire and the Humber, with around £306 million spent with regional suppliers.

Expressing the company's financial impact at Gross Value Added (GVA), the report revealed BT's GVA for Yorkshire and the Humber totalled £1.13 billion, the equivalent of £1 in every £90 of the region’s total GVA, of which £192 million was in North Yorkshire.

Tim Fanning, associate director at Regeneris Consulting, said: "Our analysis confirms the sheer scale and reach of BT’s ongoing economic contribution to Yorkshire and the Humber and the UK as a whole.

"BT makes a contribution to every community across the UK. At the UK level, £1 in every £80 of wealth created is attributable to BT. This is one of the single largest contributions to the UK economy by any firm."

Tom Keeney, BT’s regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber, who lives near York, said: "There are few organisations in Yorkshire and the Humber that have a larger impact on the day-to-day life and future prospects of the region than BT.

"We are one of the region’s largest private sector employers and investors, our investment in fibre broadband in the region alone amounts to hundreds of millions of pounds , and the services that we provide are a vital part of every community.

"The facts and figures shown in this report highlight the full extent of BT’s contribution to the local economy as we go about the daily business of keeping people connected and introducing new technologies, which are creating fresh opportunities and transforming lives.

"Aside from the company’s activities, the report also draws attention to the positive ways BT people are contributing to the communities where they live and work, whether they are a volunteer for a worthy cause or a local shopper."

BT is investing more than £3 billion in the roll-out of fibre broadband in the UK through its own commercial programme and by working with the Government and local authorities in broadband partnerships.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, BT is the major private sector partner in broadband partnerships in North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding and Northern Lincolnshire.