South Tyneside Council

Existing national digital exclusion statistics (e.g. access to broadband, basic digital skills) suggest that the 4 members of the North East Combined Authority have higher than average levels of digital exclusion. We would like to test the usefulness and validity of this data at a ward / locality level and understand if other datasets (existing or new) could provide

• An updated definition of digital exclusion that reflects digital skills and digital services in society today
• A more granular understanding of levels of exclusion
• The factors that contribute to this

Working with a research partner we will:

1. 1. Produce a report that describes our methodologies and identifies and tests the validity of existing datasets about digital skills and exclusion in the NECA region
   2. Make recommendations for other datasets that could be used nationally and locally to understand more about digital inclusion, digital skills  and how to increase the take up of council digital services.

A better understanding of actual levels of digital exclusion and the reasons for non-participation in digital services will support the development of more targeted interventions, improve the take up of digital services and skills and improve general economic wellbeing.