Purpose

To receive the Digital Exclusion Review report
which has been undertaken by the Communities and Localism Select
Committee.

Content

Cabinet were asked to consider
the recommendations of the Digital Exclusion Review Group which was
formed to investigate the issue of Digital Exclusion.
 
Councillor Ashley Waite,
Chairman of the Review Group reported that an issue that
Councillors were aware of was that some members of the public have
been unsure how best to contact the Council with queries about
services or requests for assistance. 
The website held an enormous amount of information and also
featured a significant number of forms to enable customers to
access numerous services, but some people lacked the confidence and
skills to navigate their way through an online process and others
simply did not have an appropriate device to enable them to contact
the Council in that way.  Often these
people were some of the most vulnerable residents who needed
support the most. The Group carried out the review in order to
understand the work that the Council had already been doing to
support people in getting online and to consider what more could be
done to help. Cabinet welcomed the report and their response can be
found in the link below.
 
RESOLVED

That the
‘Digital Exclusion Review Group, as well as the supporting
officers and partners, be thanked for their work and subsequent
recommendations.

That
Cabinet’s responses to the Digital Exclusion Review report
and recommendations, as detailed at the meeting, be
agreed. 

 
Note: a complete breakdown of
the scrutiny recommendations and Cabinet’s responses can be
found
here