Issue - meetings

Consideration was given to a report of the Chief Operating Officer Unity Partnership and Senior Responsible Officer for Customer and Digital, which provided an update to the Health Scrutiny Committee on the digital exclusion

challenge both nationally and regionally within the context of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The report provided a summary of the current initiatives and support across Team Oldham including examples of Council services, partners, anchor organisations, the VCFSE sector, and businesses working together with communities to tackle digital exclusion.

A summary of future development and initiatives in Oldham to continue to tackle the digital divide was set out, which included:

·         The presentation of the report to the Oldham Leadership Board (and for digital exclusion to be a quarterly agenda item), to create visibility and ownership for digital exclusion with strategic leaders across the system and to continue the momentum to join up initiatives to have the most impact as a system moving forward;

·         the Customer and Digital Lead, as custodian of the digital strategy and roadmap, would coordinate the digital inclusion offer and activity with services and would provide strategic leadership, to drive forward the approach with momentum and to ensure a joined up and consistent approach across Team Oldham and beyond;

·         tackling digital exclusion would be a key element of the Team Oldham COVID-19 Recovery Strategy;

·         embedding digital skills into the emerging Work and Skills Strategy for Team Oldham linked to economic development, to ensure that  joined up support and opportunities for digital skill development were provided; and

·         the development of a robust evidence base of digital exclusion in Oldham to demonstrate the difference being made together as a system as well as understanding where there could be most impact moving forward.

Members asked for and received clarification on the following:-

·         Lack of IT for pupils not attending schools and missing out on education – challenged recognised. GM Mayor sought donations of devices from businesses. In Oldham, there had been a survey across education settings identifying those learners with no device or no data and this provided a strong evidence base which identified areas and schools with need. Although he government had not yet indicated when devices would be provided, the GM approach made clear what was needed and where.

·         Support available across the Borough to address digital exclusion eg library system - £65K had been made available to use towards a blended lending/gifting scheme. This would be mainly for adults to use, especially to address employment and access. The devices needed to be robust and easy to use, and the maximum number possible. A number of Oldham libraries had remained open for the public to access the computers. This needed to be better communicated and shared to raise awareness. These computers were public access and could be pre-booked for an hour at a time.

·         Lending of IT equipment from closed libraries and/or recycling used equipment for the Council to the community – the GM Tech Fund would co-ordinate the recycling of equipment from businesses or individuals  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6