Agenda item

Purpose of the report: To provide an overview of the Digital Inclusion journey that Surrey County Council has been on over the past few years and to update on new activity that will enable the development and alignment of a strategic approach to Digital Inclusion. In addition, to seek input and suggestions from the Committee on how best to shape this important work to ensure it meets the needs of Surrey residents.

Witnesses:

David Lewis, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources

Leigh Whitehouse, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Resources

Marie Snelling, Executive Director of Customer and Communities

Sarah E.M Bogunovic, Assistant Director, Registrations, Coroner’s Service & Customer Strategy

Jo Blount, Portfolio Lead, Digital, Data, Technology & Culture

Helen Dobson, Managing Director, Citizens Online

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Chairman asked for the greatest challenges to digital inclusion. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities said ensuring it was embedded as an organisational wide priority and forming an accurate picture despite a range of data, insight and intelligence information being available. The Assistant Director, Registrations, Coroner’s Service & Customer Strategy noted the possibility that for those at risk of digital exclusion, the divide would grow due to the impact of cost of living pressures, and noted the importance of providing other channels to ensure services were accessible.

2.    The Chairman questioned how people already digitally excluded would be included in plans to encourage more people to access more services online. The Assistant Director confirmed that the move to digital would not result in a closure of other contact channels, but would help free up those channels e.g., the telephone, for people who needed to contact the council in other ways.   The Chairman asked if any residents had been excluded as a result of efficiencies, particularly with regards to highways reporting via the contact centre. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities explained that whilst residents were encouraged to report issues online, a telephony service remained, and issues could also be reported through their local Member.

3.    A Member asked for slides presented at the beginning of the discussion to be circulated to Committee Members, queried the deliverables, targets and expected timescale, and questioned if the programme was aligned to the Data Strategy Transformation provided to the Committee in December 2022 as this was not evident in the papers. The Portfolio Lead, Digital, Data, Technology & Culture said that deliverables would be determined by engagement with all stakeholders, benchmarking and the sharing of best practice with other local authorities. Citizens Online Managing Director added that recommendations arising from this information would result in an action plan to acknowledge the short term gains and longer term work for the Council to take forward. The Member expressed concerns at the lack of structure to the work being undertaken, with no information provided about the budget, resources, what would be delivered, how it would be delivered and by when. The Portfolio Lead, Digital, Data, Technology & Culture said recommendations would be available at the end of the four-month piece of work, which had started in early March 2023. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities said that the piece of research work undertaken in 2018 had been responded to and included a range of deliverables, some of which had been outlined in the current paper. It was being revisited to refresh the approach post pandemic and presented early to Committee to enable Members to help shape the work. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources challenged the premise of a timeline since work would evolve and adapt with technological advancements and as such was continual. It was agreed the presentation would be circulated. Action – Managing Director, Citizens Online

4.    A Member asked how the Council compared to local authorities held up as examples of best practice and what approach they had taken. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources said that work to be done to identify good and best practice in other local authorities and commercial organisations would form part of the programme going forward. The Assistant Director confirmed the Council intended to join the Local Government Association (LGA) Digital Inclusion Best Practice Network, a coordinated stakeholder group of approximately 35 local authority digital leads. The Member queried the roadmap and timetable to achieve expectations. Citizens Online Managing Director confirmed that best practice helped inform the research work, which would result in recommendations and an  action plan.

5.    A Member queried the budget for the programme including current and planned future spending. The Portfolio Lead confirmed the budget for the four-month piece of research was £24,900; this did not include the recruitment of digital champions as these were not paid roles but trained volunteers who help people develop their digital skills and confidence . The Member queried their effectiveness of digital champions, said it was unlikely that IT training outside of the charity sector had been delivered to disadvantaged groups, and suggested it would be more beneficial to provide charities with small amounts of funding to increase delivery. Citizens Online Managing Director summarised the five-year research programme conducted to determine the range of work undertaken by digital champions and said as the biggest touchpoint for Surrey residents in need, the Council had the ability to provide a great deal of support to people in the county. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities recognised the important role that other groups and organisations in Surrey had in supporting digital inclusion and explained the partnership work undertaken to date across the county to provide digital support and services  such as the Surrey Coalition for Disabled People led Tech to Community Connect Service, and the Action for Carers provision of digital devices and digital literacy training to support those at risk of digital exclusion. 

6.    A Member said local Members had not been approached to share their local knowledge regarding digitally excluded residents. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources agreed that borough and county level Members had an important contribution to make and recognised the need for joined-up working.

7.    A Member queried the take-up of the Surrey Adult Learning digital skills course and asked what equivalent provision was available in East Surrey. The Assistant Director committed to provide the Committee with this information at a future date. Action - The Assistant Director, Registrations, Coroner’s Service & Customer Strategy.

8.    A Member relayed that residents who had telephoned the contact centre to pay for parking permits had been advised they required an email address to pay and asked if this was considered digitally inclusive. The Assistant Director said that every reasonable adjustment required was made for residents who telephone the contact centre and committed to investigate the feedback and report back to the Committee. Action - The Assistant Director, Registrations, Coroner’s Service & Customer Strategy

9.    A Member was concerned that the national closure of the analogue telephone system would adversely affect residents already digitally excluded. The Portfolio Lead committed to connect with the Council’s lead on this work to ensure joined-up working. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources noted this was a national issue that was not unique to Surrey. The Member stressed that attention to this was fundamental to the work around digital inclusion. Action - The Portfolio Lead, Digital, Data, Technology & Culture

10. A Member was concerned at the cost implication and impact to residents of local infrastructure works. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities agreed to pass on these concerns to the Economy and Growth team who had been undertaking work in this area. Action - The Executive Director of Customer and Communities

11. A Member asked if all libraries in Surrey provided free internet access, how many had digital welfare officers and how the work of these officers was accessed and promoted. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities confirmed that all libraries had free internet access and PCs with trained staff available to assist and would come back to the Committee with further information regarding digital welfare officers and digital buddies. Action – The Executive Director of Customer and Communities

12. A Member asked if digital welfare and community link officers worked together. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities committed to provide further information regarding these roles and explained that although community link officers did not undertake any digital literacy skills work with residents, they would actively promote the services available. Action – The Executive Director of Customer and Communities

13. A Member questioned the given number of 200,000 digitally excluded residents, when taking into consideration households with one person able to access services digitally and provide support for the others. The Assistant Director said the figure was the current best estimate and summarised the targeted work to encourage residents to seek support from family members, friends or people they trust to access digital services on their behalf. This had resulted in a rise of the online uptake of blue badge applications from 15 per cent to 80 per cent over approximately seven years.

14. A Member noted that the poor mobile signal in the county would be an issue going forward. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources agreed the current signal was poor in some areas and highlighted the balance required with regard to local opposition to new masts and the need for improved signals, adding that the situation would be exacerbated by the rollout of 5G.

15. A Member asked what were the plans for rural areas with no libraries and limited public transport. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities agreed that rural areas required wider community outreach to ensure that digital skills literacy education could happen in the right place, not just in libraries.

16. The Chairman requested that details and notes of the discussion at the imminent workshop be provided to the Committee as soon as possible. Action - Managing Director, Citizens Online

17. The Chairman suggested frequent feedback as deemed appropriate by officers and requested the prioritisation of work with stakeholders to include Surrey Heartlands, the LGA, the charity sector, rural areas and Members, and suggested the Committee may wish to consider setting up a task group.

Resolved:

The Resources and Performance Select Committee recommends:

1. That the Cabinet commits to ensuring an alternative form of contact to online is made available while action is undertaken to support digital inclusion in the county, so that Council services remain accessible for people who are digitally excluded. Also, that care is taken to ensure alternative methods of contact are fit for purpose and do not unintentionally exclude people, for example, not requiring an email address to make a payment by telephone.?

2. That the Resources Directorate and Member Services provide and publicise face-to-face digital skills training to Members at all levels, including Cabinet.

3. That the Select Committee nominates representatives to participate as key stakeholders in the work being undertaken by Citizens Online and to engage with this work on an ongoing basis as it develops. 

4. That the Service ensures that Citizens Online involves the voluntary sector, health partners and borough and district councils in its research work in Surrey and in the development of an action plan.

5. That the Service ensures that Citizens Online shares the findings from its online survey once complete and the Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources brings their final report with recommendations to a meeting of the Resources and Performance Select Committee.

6. That the Committee considers the formation of a Task Group on digital inclusion at the beginning of the municipal year. 

Actions:

1. The Managing Director, Citizens Online agreed to circulate the slides presented at the beginning of the discussion.

2. The Assistant Director, Registrations, Coroner’s Service & Customer Strategy committed to provide the Committee with information regarding the take-up of the Surrey Adult Learning Digital Skills course and the equivalent provision available in East Surrey.

3. The Assistant Director, Registrations, Coroner’s Service & Customer Strategy committed to investigate feedback from residents that an email address was required to pay for parking permits purchased through the contact centre.

4. The Portfolio Lead committed to feedback concerns to Council leads regarding the closure of the national analogue telephone system adversely affecting residents already digitally excluded.

5. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities agreed to pass on Members concerns regarding cost implications and impact to residents as a result of infrastructure works to the Economy and Growth team.

6. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities agreed to come back to the Committee with further information regarding digital welfare officers and digital buddies.

7. The Executive Director of Customer and Communities committed to provide further information regarding the digital welfare and Community Link Officer roles.

The Managing Director, Citizens Online committed to provide the details and notes of the discussion of the imminent workshop to the Committee as soon as possible.