Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Finance and Resources (S151 Officer). To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Finance & Corporate Services

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST RELATING TO THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Approved the Digital Inclusion Policy for Haringey and the proposed Enhanced Offer detailed in the Digital Inclusion Roadmap (Appendix?1), which would support all residents in accessing council services digitally by choice and ensure that no individual was excluded as services moved to digital channels.

Reasons for decision:

A commitment to long?term, sustainable digital inclusion initiatives was fundamental to achieving the Borough Vision for Haringey, reducing inequalities, and supporting thriving communities to improve financial, health, and social outcomes. The Council could not provide essential services or build an inclusive and fair borough unless it ensured that all residents had access to suitable digital devices, connectivity, and the digital support they needed.

When residents were digitally included, there were significant associated benefits, including improved economic circumstances, better prospects for education and employment opportunities, and increased access to housing support and welfare services. The Digital Inclusion Roadmap would achieve lasting, positive impact within communities and provide more equitable access to services for all residents.

Digital transformation of the Council’s service offer was a key driver of efficiency savings, and digital inclusion was a core component of the wider digital strategy for Haringey. The Council could not successfully achieve the shift to a self?service?by?preference delivery model unless residents were able to access services through digital channels.

Demand for digital inclusion services, skills training, donated devices, and other support for residents who were digitally excluded would increase exponentially as the range of services that could be completed entirely online grew.

While positive digital inclusion work had already been undertaken in Haringey, it had been limited by a lack of coordination, leading to missed opportunities or duplication of effort. Implementing the Digital Inclusion Policy and Roadmap would enable the Council to support a coherent offer for residents, build and expand partnerships with community groups and businesses, and ensure existing projects were not replicated.

Alternative options considered:

Three scalable offers had been developed to determine the ambition for Haringey’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap: the Core Offer, the Enhanced Offer, and the Complete Offer (see Appendix?1). The recommendation was to implement the Enhanced Offer.

Core Offer (Not Recommended)
The Core Offer represented the service that could be provided within existing financial resources. It covered the work already underway to assess digital support needs in the borough, including:

• expanding the National Device Bank and National Databank offer;
• establishing a digital inclusion network with councillors, services, the NHS, VCS, and other interested parties;
• seeking external funding through social value commitments in relevant council contracts, government grants, charitable foundations, and corporate sponsors to fund long?term sustainable initiatives.

The Council’s existing digital inclusion function would have continued to deliver the Core Offer.

Enhanced Offer (Recommended)
The Enhanced Offer included everything in the Core Offer, along with a strengthened programme of digital inclusion services that would deliver sustainable long?term benefits for residents. It included:

• providing digital inclusion support directly in the community through recruitment, training, and management of volunteer digital ambassadors;
• hosting a Digital Inclusion Fair with partner organisations to showcase the full range of support available;
• developing a hyper?local circular economy device donation and recycling scheme for the borough.
  
  

Delivering the Enhanced Offer required support from a Level?3 Apprentice, funded by Public Health, and a modest additional budget for subscriptions, marketing, and venue hire. Recruiting an apprentice was a cost?effective option and aligned with the Council’s commitment to supporting Haringey care leavers into meaningful employment.

Complete Offer (Not Recommended)
The Complete Offer incorporated all elements of the Core and Enhanced Offers, along with additional services that would enable Haringey to deliver a highly ambitious programme of digital inclusion initiatives and realise the full range of associated benefits.

The Council acknowledged that it was operating in a challenging financial context and funding for the Complete Offer was not available at the time. However, it would continue to explore opportunities for external grants, sponsorship, or social value funding and, if successful, move towards implementing elements of the Complete Offer.

The Complete Offer would have included:

• establishing a digital device loan scheme with Haringey Learns to enable adult learners to complete course assignments at home;
• expanding the Digital Cost of Living skills programme delivered by Tender Loving Care (TLC) volunteers and Haringey Learns;
• hosting two Digital Inclusion Fairs per year;
• purchasing subscriptions to the Digital Unite Inspire programme for councillors and senior leadership, with potential expansion to other staff;
• launching a Digital Bus scheme to provide mobile access to digital inclusion support in community locations.