Millions of people are set to gain greater digital skills and get online, in a plan to tackle exclusion and boost economic growth.
The Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan will help those held back from improving their job prospects and accessing key services, including older and low-income households, who also face paying more for things such as home insurance, train travel and food compared with those who are online.
Cllr Abi Brown OBE, Chairman of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, said councils are critical to digital inclusion, running local initiatives such as digital skills improvement support and refurbishing old equipment to donate or lend to residents. She added: “Our world is increasingly digital by default, with public services being moved online.
“Digital skills, equipment and reliable connectivity, as well as the confidence to be online, are crucial to enable people to fully participate in society and engage in education and employment.
“Given their role as local leaders, councils want to go much further, building on their work with local voluntary and community sector organisations to reach socially excluded groups.”