Digital Access for All

What is this mission about?

As part of London’s recovery from the pandemic we’re working to ensure every Londoner has fast and reliable internet access, basic digital skills and the device or support they need to be online by 2025. 

Why are we doing this?

Too many Londoners don’t have the devices, skills or internet access they need to get online.

We’ve seen how damaging this digital exclusion can be to people’s lives during this pandemic. Work, learning, shopping, public services and nearly all opportunities for social connection required internet access, a computer or smartphone, and the skills to use these safely and effectively.

What evidence have we got?

• Connectivity: Currently 21% of London has access to full-fibre. This is much lower than cities in many other countries. Around 95% of London has access to a copper connection from a local ‘fibre to the cabinet’ point. These connections share network capacity with others in the area. This can cause households problems connecting multiple devices or using online services that use a lot of data, like gaming or other streamed content. Data consumption per household is increasing every year.
• Essential digital skills: At least 9% of Londoners do not have any of the seven foundational digital skills, including being able to open an internet browser and connect to a Wi-Fi network. 20% of Londoners lack one or more of the skills.
• Devices: There is high demand for laptops to support schoolchildren and adult learners.
• Increasing demand: During the crisis over half of London’s civil society organisations reported an increase in demand for digital connectivity from the people they support.

Our approach

To recover from the economic, social and health impacts of the pandemic, City Hall has set out a missions-based approach. This will bring together the public, private and voluntary sectors, and involves working with all Londoners to make it a success.

We propose to achieve this mission through joint working and funding between City Hall, local councils, businesses, and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) to deliver focused, high-impact projects led by groups with specific targets, based on a detailed map of digital exclusion in London.

The key themes behind the projects are:

• better digital connectivity in poorly served housing
• improved access to basic digital skills training
• a laptop, mobile or other device for those who need it
• better digital capability in the voluntary and community sector to support the most digitally excluded.

Actions:

• Support the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) Digital Inclusion Innovation Programme. The programme will address data gaps, focusing on the most excluded groups identified during the crisis. It will also share what London boroughs have been doing that has worked well to help people digitally excluded and encourage others to do the same.
• Increase take-up of free basic digital skills training, available under the Essential Digital Skills Entitlement, by raising awareness through private and voluntary-sector skills partnerships.
• Deliver the Connected London programme to pave the way for investment in digital connectivity, including upgrading public sector buildings to deliver new digital services.

Policy team

Mission co-leads: Theo Blackwell (Chief Digital Officer) and Davina Fell (Digital Infrastructure Programme Manager, Southwark Council).

Lead organisations and partners: GLA and London Councils, local councils, Jobcentre Plus, skills and employment support providers, employers, trade unions, and voluntary and community organisations.