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The UK Government (DSIT) has today moved to complement their recently introduced Digital Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) by launching a new £9.5m Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund (DIIF). The fund is designed to support local authorities, charities and research organisations in helping to get people online who might otherwise struggle.
According to some recent data from Ofcom, the proportion of UK adults with home internet access (broadband) remains plateaued at 94% (here) and the majority of adults without access at home report a lack of interest in having it. Some 81% stated that they see no need to connect online, although 43% of those who don’t go online at home have still asked someone else to do something for them online.
In addition, 76% of those who do not go online at home reported that nothing would prompt them to get connected in the next 12 months, which helps to underline the challenge that the government faces in trying to address this most complex of issues.
The new £9.5m Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund (DIIF) will attempt to help address this by working with local councils, charities and research organisations to offer grants worth £25,000 to £500,000 to help boost digital inclusion and skills in England. The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will determine their own arrangements for the distribution of funding to best support local digital inclusion.
Funding Allocations for Devolved Governments
Allocations for the Devolved Governments for this FY (25-26) have been calculated on a per capita basis and amount to:
➤ £400,368 for Wales
➤ £764,020 for Scotland
➤ £267,249 for Northern Ireland
The money will be used to support the “best and smartest ways of tackling digital exclusion“, which could include putting on workshops to familiarise people with tech or schemes donating devices like phones and laptops to the digitally excluded. In terms of the latter, it’s worth noting that the government’s IT Reuse for Good charter is already working to donate used-tech to those who need it.
Sir Chris Bryant, UK Telecoms Minister, said:
“It is unacceptable that in 2025, millions of people across the UK simply can’t access the vast opportunities that technology and the online world offers. Digital inclusion is an essential for modern life and work, not just something that’s nice to have, and it forms a critical part of our Plan for Change.
Making technology widely accessible could be the thing that means a sick patient can speak to a GP remotely, or that helps a young person successfully apply for a job. Through this funding we’re moving further to empower local leaders and groups nationwide, who are already working tirelessly to get their communities connected and change countless lives for the better.”
Despite the challenges, the government views tackling digital exclusion as “crucial to raising living standards across the UK“, such as by helping more people apply for jobs online, shop online, use the NHS app to book doctor’s appointments, or get advice on government services through tools like GOV.UK Chat etc. Some research shows that digitally excluded people pay up to 25% more on average than consumers who are online.