Online public services

There should be equal emphasis between 'online' and 'offline'.  How about somebody who has no internet?  Has the "drive to digital" accounted for people who cannot afford 'the internet'?

In fact, there seems to be an assumption (is it modern 'hipsters'?) that everyone has internet.  This is something that needs to be challenged, and services must be in place for anybody not able to access the web.

One unwanted side effect of digital by default is that notification of important public events, local ones for eg, is not done in time for the people with the internet access and the printer to get notices made and put up everywhere for all those who have no internet access.  People where I live are cut off from contact with their local police Safer Neighbourhood Teams because of this.  

And of course, free wifi in everyone's homes would be even better.  It should be provided in all social housing, to ensure that the less advantaged are not excluded from an increasingly all-online society.  Give them free cheap basic computers as well.

#Talk London - on using public free wifi connections. Personally I don't often do this, but many people might need to. Loads of people work in cafes instead of at work - it can be hard to get somewhere to sit in some cafes during the day as they are packed with people and their laptops, all working.  Members of my family who are freelancers work in cafes sometimes - it is quieter in cafes than it is at home due to adjacent long-term building sites. The noise at home has been unbearable for two years, terrible machines cutting steel and concrete all day, headaches for everyone by 12 noon.  You bet people in our locality are working where there is free wifi and decent coffee or teas.  Don't trust the cloud though, and you have to be extra careful with your online security.  Free wifi in public squares and gardens would be great, and in parks.  

Neighbours of mine found that if they write to our local council, it is unlikely that there will be any response at all. Seems there is no system for replying to correspondence that comprises written or typed words on paper, delivered by the Royal Mail or similar over- land services.

Make sure there is absolutely free internet access all over London, eg in those new phone booths, then online services access will no longer be for the privileged only.  Else is discriminatory to make services digital by default.

It's great that those with the skills and access can use government services online. But so very many people are excluded when local authorities go 'digital by default'.  People who cannot use the internet are no longer informed about important issues, or cannot cannot easily get in touch with their local authority.  With my local council, residents ringing up about something are sometimes told they have to fill in an online form, but they have no way of accessing the online form.  The council says it has simplified reporting of problems, such as potholes in the road, antisocial behaviour, dumpled cars, a whole range of problems in fact, with it's vamped-up online reporting system. But in fact it has made it harder - now residents have to sign up and log in, the system is sometimes not working at all, and often the problem does not conform to anything listed with radio buttons on the website. It is harder to report problems to the council now. 

The same goes for the Metropolitan police, that has fewer and fewer officers, fewer and fewer police stations that are open to the public, and the worst online system ever.  Local police have no local SNTeam phone or email, and even if an email address is given, they never answer emails, and never answer online form queries or phone messages.  Police are much harder to contact over local issues than ever before. 

I use the internet for everything banking/bills finding workman ect. I fid it's very useful. Recently I had to report my bank card was stolen and I spoke to someone via online chat at the banks website they were very helpful and saved me going to the bank and queing to see someone.However I don't know anyone else over 65 that uses the internet at all. Maybe classs for over 65's could be more widely advertised or offered? As soon they will find it very difficult to deal with things.

I do not like going on line for everything as many websites are confusing. The less I can use the internet the better, epecially anything to do with banking. I prefer to report  or discuss problems by telephone and help to keep a bank in my High Street open and people employed there. Some banks now are an nightmare with queues out of the door because people require help to try to use machines and remember all their different passwords. More shops seem to only take cash now so does that indicate problems with use of the internet? We were in a restaurant in Windermere last year when a queue formed to pay the bills as the internet connection was not working. We were able to jump the queue with cash!

I do everything online and am awfully grateful that that's possible to do. Really useful service. Only downside is that sometimes, when you don't know how to do something online, it's difficult to find the contact of someone you could speak to to have an answer. More than a telephone to call a chat would be great.

I live in Harrow and the council expect everyone to use the internet rather than telephone them, which in theory would be a good thing unfortunately its not. Whilst I have registered to vote using their online system which was straight forward, I have found that they don't respond to emails about anything else.