Report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods)

This report provides an update on the Council’s digital inclusion work over the last 2 years.

The Committee considered the report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) which provided an update on the Council’s digital inclusion work over the last 2 years.

Key points and themes in the report included:

• Manchester Digital Strategy 2021-2026: Doing Digital Together;
• Helping the delivery of Corporate Priorities;
• Voter ID;
• Digital Inclusion Action Plan 2021-23;
• Device schemes;
• Data;
• Skills;
• Community Engagement – roadshows;
• Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector support;
• Let’s Get Digital campaign and communications;
• UK Communities Renewal Fund Report;
• Sustainability of the digital inclusion programme; and
• Future priorities and projects.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were: -

• To welcome the work to promote digital inclusion;
• That people who were not online were often excluded from engagement events as they did not hear about them;
• Had there been follow-up with residents who had been given a device and internet access;
• Plans to promote the strategy more widely across the city;
• The digital skills gap among young people and multi-generational digital exclusion;
• Work to help residents who did not live in one of the top 12 most digitally excluded areas;
• Whether the community engagement roadshows would be continuing;
• Digital inclusion for families who had English as an Additional Language (EAL); and
• The role of housing providers in improving digital inclusion for their residents.

In response to a Member’s question about wifi access in Council offices across the city, the Head of Libraries, Galleries, Culture and Youth Services reported that a meeting had taken place with the Director of IT the previous day in relation to a programme of work to improve wifi access across the city ?and he offered to circulate information on this to Members by email.  He advised that promoting the digital inclusion work was a priority.  The Deputy Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure reported that the digital inclusion steering group was looking at having a co-ordinated approach to communicating this work through a range of partner organisations. 

The Citywide Services Manager (Reform) confirmed that residents who had been given a device and internet access were followed up, advising that they were provided with a mentor and that research had been carried out by Manchester Metropolitan University.  The Head of Libraries, Galleries, Culture and Youth Services commented that it would be useful to have case studies and that he would take this away as an action point.  In response to a Member’s question, the Citywide Services Manager (Reform) advised that baseline data was not available but that the Digital Exclusion Index was based on intelligence on the types of people likely to be digitally excluded.  He took on board a Member’s comments about the importance of doing more to publicise that people could donate their old devices to be refurbished for other people to use.  He reported that every area of the city had digitally excluded people in so, although there was a focus on areas with higher levels of digital exclusion, work was taking place across the city.  In response to a request for demographic information on residents helped by the strategy, he advised that this could be provided.  He reported that the roadshows which were piloted had been useful but might not be the best use of resources; however, talking to residents, directly and through partner organisations, would definitely continue in one form or another, for example, by attending other events.

The Deputy Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure reported that there was university representation on the steering group and that universities were working to bridge the gap between what young people could do online and what was needed in the workplace.  She advised that intergenerational work had also been discussed and that they were working with schools to deliver some work involving children and their parents or carers.  The Head of Libraries, Galleries, Culture and Youth Services advised that there was a further meeting of the steering group the following day and that Members’ feedback would be fed into that.

The Ward Councillor for Harpurhey expressed serious concern about the new requirements for voters to provide ID when voting at polling stations.  He reported that only 243 Manchester residents had applied for the Voter Authority Certificate, which people who did not have an acceptable form of photo ID would need to vote in person.  He stated that he felt that this new requirement had been introduced by the Government to suppress voting by some groups, including working class people, young people and black and ethnic minority communities.  He expressed concern that this would also lead to polling station staff facing conflict because some voters would arrive to vote unaware of the new requirements.  He suggested the Committee consider this issue further.  He stated that the Council needed to be more pro-active in addressing this issue, including increased communication about voter ID requirements to Manchester residents and doing more to inform people about the option of postal voting.  He advised that the Council should communicate directly with Manchester residents and not just online.

The City Solicitor stated that this was an issue of concern to her, as Deputy Returning Officer and the Chief Executive, as Returning Officer, and that they were keen to have the best communication strategy possible on this, although they had been restricted in what they could do and the timing of it by central Government.  She committed to working with the Member and with colleagues to communicate effectively with residents the need to bring photo ID to the polling station and how to apply for the Voter Authority Certificate, if they did not have suitable photo ID.  The Head of Libraries, Galleries, Culture and Youth Services highlighted the information in the report which outlined work taking place in relation to this.  In response to a Member’s question about undertaking an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) on those turned away from polling stations and not able to vote, the City Solicitor reported that an EIA had been done on the strategy to date and that the Council would look closely at feedback in relation to those who were turned away at the polling station, although it might not be in the form of an EIA.  She advised that this information would go to the Constitutional and Nomination Committee, including learning from the election and what could be done differently in future.  In response to a question from the Chair, she advised that, unfortunately, residents could not apply for a Voter Authority Certificate at the polling station on the day.  She advised that she was in the process of producing an update on this work and offered to share it with Committee Members when it was ready, to which the Chair agreed.

In response to a Member’s example of a resident without sufficient data to access their emails, the Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure reported that some residents had digital skills and devices but were affected by digital poverty and that work was taking place to make data available via libraries.  In response to a Member’s question about Manchester Adult Education Service (MAES)’s digital training and flyers in community languages, he advised that he would look into this and respond to the Member.  In response to a question about financial exclusion and the closing of high street banks, he reported that financial exclusion was part of the wider digital strategy and that further information could be provided at a future meeting.

The Citywide Services Manager (Reform) reported that MCC Housing Services, formerly known as Northwards Housing,were still very active in digital inclusion work.  The Deputy Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure reported that the Digital Inclusion Strategy Board was hoping to involve as many housing providers as possible, including having a meeting focused on the role of housing providers and potentially establishing a subgroup to share best practice.  The Chair requested that information on this be cascaded to all Ward Councillors.  The Deputy Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure agreed that this would be done, once the initial work had taken place.

In response to a Member’s question, the Citywide Services Manager (Reform) outlined how the device lending library with The Bread and Butter Thing in Wythenshawe would work, advising that, if this pilot was successful, it was planned to expand it to other areas of the city.

The Chair thanked officers for their hard work in this area.

The Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure drew Members’ attention to the digital inclusion action plan, at appendix one in the report, and asked Members to provide him with any feedback.  The Chair asked that the questions and comments that Members had raised at today’s meeting be taken on board.  The Deputy Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure advised that she would take the minutes from this meeting to the steering group to look at how the issues raised could be incorporated into their work.

Decisions

1.            To receive a further report on digital exclusion, including financial exclusion, at a future meeting.

2.            To note that the City Solicitor will share the update on the work in relation to voter ID requirements with Committee Members when it is available.

3.            To note that the Deputy Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure will share the information on work with housing providers with all Ward Councillors, once the initial work has taken place.

4.            To note that the Deputy Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure will take the minutes from this meeting to the steering group to look at how the issues raised can be incorporated into their work.