East Cambridgeshire District Council Digital Inclusion Project

While the rapid acceleration of digital technologies has enhanced services for many, it has also highlighted existing inequalities and has the potential to exclude people without access to technology or the skills and confidence to use it.

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated our reliance on connectivity and exposed the digital divide in the UK. This is being exacerbated by the current cost of living crisis with many people struggling to afford broadband and mobile connectivity, and the upcoming switch-off of the copper, analogue telephone network which will affect the most vulnerable.

Funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, East Cambridgeshire District Council is looking to commission an experienced delivery partner to implement a digital inclusion project for residents living within East Cambridgeshire who are facing barriers to gaining digital skills and/or access to digital services.

The project should provide digital inclusion initiatives to help improve people's digital skills so that they can use online services. The scheme will address the main challenges that people face to going online:

⬢ access - the ability to actually go online and connect to the internet

⬢ skills - to be able to use the internet

⬢ motivation - knowing the reasons why using the internet is a good thing

⬢ trust - a fear of crime, or not knowing where to start to go online.