Digital inclusion: 100% Digital Leeds
Outcome/aim
To help promote the benefits of being online to digitally excluded people in their communities. More than 3,000 Digital Champions have been trained from over 250 teams and organisations in all sectors working across the city. It has supported third sector organisations to secure £1million funding into digital inclusion interventions and projects to increase capacity and capability in communities, with £200,000 funding awarded to more than 150 third sector organisations.
Background
100% Digital Leeds aligns with the council’s ambition to build a compassionate city, tackle poverty and reduce inequalities. Digital inclusion is integral to the successful delivery of a range of council and city plans and priorities including the Best Council plan, the Leeds Economic Recovery Framework, the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Inclusive Growth Strategy, as well as being a foundation of our Smart City ambitions.
100% Digital Leeds also supports third sector resilience and efforts to increase digital inclusion across health and care. By working in this way, the digital inclusion programme is contributing to strategic priorities across the council and of stakeholders across the city.
The 100% Digital Leeds approach includes:
- A citywide digital inclusion programme led by a permanent council team
- Building the capacity of partners across third sector, public sector, health and care
- Making Leeds the most digitally inclusive city for everyone
What has been delivered?
- More than 3,000 Digital Champions trained from over 250 teams and organisations in all sectors working across the city.
- £200,000 funding for 150+ third sector organisations to increase digital inclusion.
- Supported third sector organisations to secure £1million funding into digital inclusion interventions and projects to increase capacity and capability in communities.
- Building networks of organisations to increase digital inclusion for the people they support. Digital inclusion is embedded as part of their collective resilience planning and the issue is being tackled in a more coordinated and sustainable way. There are four Digital Inclusion Networks with around 100 organisations involved, focusing on: Autism and Learning Disabilities; Older People; Sensory Impairments; Arts and Culture.
- Working with the Local Care Partnership in South Leeds to develop a place-based approach to enable digital health participation. Also working on digital inclusion in care homes and digital inclusion to reduce health inequalities.
- Leading the development of the national Digital Inclusion Toolkit, funded by MHCLG as part of Local Digital Covid-19 Challenge. Working in partnership with Croydon Council who are also coordinating contributions from London boroughs.
What was the impact/next steps?
Continuing a strengths-based collaborative effort to tackle the barriers to digital inclusion:
- Access and accessibility: Creating more opportunities to get online.
- Skills and confidence: Building networks of organisations working together to increase digital inclusion.
- Motivation and trust: Helping organisations to promote the benefits of digital inclusion and support people to overcome barriers.