COUNCIL AIMS TO GET 8,000 DIGITALLY EXCLUDED RESIDENTS ONLINE

Salford is already home to the second largest cluster of digital businesses in the UK.

But now the city wants more of its residents to become digitally savvy in a unique and ambitious project.

To celebrate Get Online Week Salford City Council has announced an ambitious plan to get almost 8,000 of the most vulnerable and digitally excluded residents online and confident about using technology within two years.

Good Things Foundation, the UK’s leading digital and social inclusion charity which has supported two million people online to gain digital skills 2010, will work with Salford City Council and says it is the most ambitious local authority digital inclusion plan it has ever seen.

Deputy City Mayor Councillor Paula Boshell said:

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“This is one of the biggest challenges we have ever undertaken as a council.

“So much of society is moving online nowadays – from claiming benefits and applying for jobs to cutting bills through finding cheaper deals. There’s also the social side of technology – using it to connect with groups and people to reduce isolation and improve people’s health and wellbeing.

“People who cannot get online, for whatever reason, are missing out on opportunities that could really improve their lives.

“Part of our plan is to find out what the barriers are and tackle them. It’s also about providing free technology in places they go to, as well as investing £100,000 in replacing and upgrading all the IT in our libraries and Gateways over the next year.

“It’s about helping people to get lower cost technology in their own homes, recruiting volunteers to support them and giving them the skills and confidence to reap the rewards of being on the internet.”

“We’re aiming to get some of the most socially excluded people online – everyone from older people who live alone and who have never used a computer to people who have no secure roof over their heads. 

"If people can find sustainable jobs, save money and feel happier and healthier, the return on our investment in terms of saving money for public services will be huge – and part of the project will be to try and measure that impact on the local economy.”

 

Almost 13% of Salford residents say they have never been online compared to 7% of Londoners, while 24% in Salford don’t have the basic digital skills considered essential these days compared to 16% in the capital.

Good Things Foundation, which is based in Sheffield, will work with Salford City Council to build up a network of community centres to act as digital hubs where people can get support. The project will also create a network of volunteers to act as digital champions so it can be self-sustaining after the two years is up.

Salford City Council is also looking to work private sector partners including Barclays, Salford-based TalkTalk, and Lloyds, partners of Good Things Foundation, to provide access to low or even no cost broadband and devices.

Earlier this year the council and Barclays launched Salford Digital Eagles, the first  public sector partnership of its kind to help council staff improve their digital skills and support colleagues.

Adam Micklethwaite, Director of Digital Inclusion at Good Things Foundation, said:

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"We're absolutely delighted to be helping Salford City Council create a truly digital city.

“Digital skills and inclusion are fundamental for economic success and social justice, and the programme will provide an important pillar of the council's strategy. As well as helping thousands of Salford residents improve their lives with digital, we'll be creating a movement for change and a sustainable community infrastructure across the city that can continue to support digital inclusion into the future.

“It's a landmark investment from a council with vision, commitment and ambition."