Decision details

SCC Digital Inclusion Strategy

Decision Maker: Co-operative Executive

Decision status: For Determination

Is Key decision?: Yes

Purpose:

To present a Digital Inclusion Strategy for the Council and an accompanying action plan, setting out how the Council and its partners intend to tackle digital exclusion in the City.

 

Decision:

10.1

The Executive Director, Resources submitted a report presenting a Digital Inclusion Strategy for the Council and an accompanying action plan, setting out how the Council and its partners intend to tackle digital exclusion in the City.

 

 

10.2

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:-

 

 

 

(a)

approves the Digital Inclusion Strategy shown at Appendix 1 to the report as a statement of the Council’s strategic approach to digital inclusion;

 

 

 

 

(b)

approves the accompanying Digital Inclusion Action Plan;

 

 

 

 

(c)

delegates authority to the Director of Business Change and Information Solutions, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, to make amendments to the action plan on the basis of further development and consultation with stakeholders; and

 

 

 

 

(d)

notes that the implementation of any of the proposed actions may be subject to further decision making in accordance with the Leader’s Scheme of Delegation.

 

 

 

10.3

Reasons for Decision

 

 

10.3.1

The introduction of a Digital Inclusion Strategy and action plan will provide the City with an opportunity to build on the excellent work that is already being done to improve the digital inclusiveness of its residents by organisations such as ‘The Good Things Foundation’, ‘Heeley Development Trust’, ‘Barclays Digital Eagles’ and in-house activity led by Council teams and Portfolios such as Lifelong Learning, Libraries and Children’s Services.

 

 

10.3.2

The strategy is designed to recognise that whilst the Council cannot and does not have the resource to deliver against this agenda on its own, it is uniquely placed as a community and city leader to co-ordinate and provide the strategic leadership necessary to co-ordinate both existing and planned activity across the city. It also acknowledges that there is a need for greater links to be made at the strategic level e.g. with the Digital Skills Action Plan current development by Creative Sheffield.

 

 

10.3.3

Increasing the number of residents who are digitally active and included will have significant benefits from an economic and social perspective, as outlined in the strategy in Appendix 1 to the report.

 

 

10.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

 

 

10.4.1

The ‘As-is’ option: this would see no new strategy for digital inclusion adopted for the city. Much of the valuable work that currently takes place across the city to support people to access and benefit from using the internet would continue. However, the new opportunities for working together with Google Garage, Good Things Foundation, and businesses for example, to raise awareness of digital inclusion, provide digital skills training and target support more effectively would be lost. As would the potential to embed digital inclusion within the Council’s approach to tackling wider social injustice such as fairness and financial inclusion.

 

 

10.4.2

Indeed the Council’s Financial Social Inclusion Strategy makes specific mention of digital inclusion as an important enabler in addressing poverty and financial inclusion “local intelligence also points to digital exclusion being closely linked to financial exclusion”.

 

 

10.4.3

No alternative options were therefore considered, however the Council’s approach to digital inclusion should be seen in the context of the overarching digital agenda and the Council’s ambitions and priorities in this area.

 

 

10.5

Any Interest Declared or Dispensation Granted

 

 

 

None

 

 

10.6

Reason for Exemption if Public/Press Excluded During Consideration

 

 

 

None

 

 

10.7

Respective Director Responsible for Implementation

 

 

 

Eugene Walker, Executive Director, Resources

 

 

10.8

Relevant Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee If Decision Called In

 

 

 

Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

 

Report author: Chris Lowry

Publication date: 26/09/2017

Date of decision: 20/09/2017

Decided at meeting: 20/09/2017 - Co-operative Executive

Effective from: 03/10/2017

Accompanying Documents: