The digital divide

The average person in the UK spends over 91 days each year online. Whether accessing public services, finding information and news, or maintaining social contact, digital connectivity is essential to the way we live, work and play.

Unfortunately, as with many aspects of our society, poverty and the widening wealth gap has left millions across the country in digital poverty. This void, where a lack of access to equipment, data, or both, has not only left them disconnected, but for some, continues to exacerbate a feeling of inequality, isolation and of being left behind.

As an organisation which prides itself on looking after our customers, in building communities that thrive, the digital divide is a frustrating characteristic of the modern world; one that cannot be fixed by one sector alone.

There is no silver bullet to solving the UK’s gaping digital divide.

But there are solutions. Daunting as it may be, it requires commitment from almost every arm of local and national government; from education to planning to construction to skills. Some solutions will take significant time and investment; others can be actioned almost immediately. What they all have in common are the need for partnership working and commitment from all in the housing sector, and elsewhere.

To understand the detail of these, we recently commissioned the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research to investigate, resulting in the Digital exclusion and the cost of living crisis report. The report takes a deeper look at the impact of digital exclusion, and its ill effects on people’s ability to create and grasp opportunities, or in some cases, stay on top of their bills, access the support to which they’re entitled or simply connect to the outside world.

The report confirmed what many in our sector already feared - that those on the lowest incomes, including those in temporary accommodation, struggle to get online because they simply cannot afford the tariffs, or because as ‘transitional’ places, their temporary homes are not set up for individual broadband access. We know that this makes their already difficult circumstances even harder. We hear often about the stark choices being made across the country between heating and eating. Digital poverty is adding to that hardship, often preventing people from accessing the help they urgently need.

Fourteen million people in the UK have low digital capability, with two million households saying they are struggling to afford their internet bills. Individuals who took part in the Cambridge University focus groups told us that it was necessary to prioritise internet access, even if they had to cut back on other essentials such as food or transport.

We heard that access to the internet is a lifeline. In a modern society, few can avoid using it. We rely on it, even if it’s not everyone’s preferred way to communicate.

The research confirmed that solutions to the digital divide are not simple, or quick. As with so much in the housing sector, it relies on collaboration, partnerships and long-term commitments.

Together, we need to influence lawmakers, broadband providers, planners, house builders and investors to inspire an overhaul of the system. This will take a long time, we know that. But there are quick wins within our gift that, when combined, can lead to greater change.

Places for People is committed to approaching digital access as an essential utility. We will champion sector ambitions to include access to the internet as part and parcel of the retrofitting process. We will share our experiences, and lessons learned along the way, to encourage others to follow suit.

We will continue our collaboration with other housing providers, and with Vodafone and the Good Things Foundation, to support our customers with access to data and devices and support those customers who want it with digital training with our partnership with We Are Digital, as well as continue our work with CityFibre to upgrade broadband to gigabit speed full fibre in over 38,000 multi-dwelling homes.

We will also continue working with Pocket Power on a community engagement initiative to support our customers to save money on their household bills, building on the recent pilot which showed savings of around 15 per cent on broadband for our customers.

We will continue to invest in research too, seeking other ways to help to bridge the digital access gap.

These are all steppingstones towards real digital inclusion for all. There is exceptional work being done by colleagues elsewhere in housing, but it is sporadic and dispersed.

We are calling on the sector to come together and make broadband a key feature of our community developments, a leading item on politicians’ agendas, and part of the conversations around ending poverty, inequality and most importantly, creating communities where people can thrive.