Digital inclusion: baked in, not bolted on

Digital inclusion cannot be achieved with a quick fix – it requires long-term investment to help tackle some of our biggest challenges. At the national level, it can strengthen the economy and help public services meet people’s needs. At the individual level, it can change lives. 

I recently met a young man who, after being given free connectivity, found a job and felt much less lonely as a result. An older woman was helped to develop skills and confidence, and provided with free access that stopped unnecessary visits to her GP. And a mother described receiving a free refurbished laptop for her son’s homework as ‘winning the lottery’.  

These stories are snapshots of a bigger truth: digital inclusion benefits everyone, not just those currently excluded. 

Political will, economic reality  

In February 2025, the UK government launched its Digital Inclusion Action Plan (First Steps), defining digital inclusion as “ensuring that everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to participate in and benefit from our modern digital society, whatever their circumstances”. 

It is encouraging to see this commitment. But I fear that ambition without serious investment will see us falling short. Since Labour took office in July last year, the £22bn ‘black hole’ in public finances has dominated headlines. A spiralling welfare bill, persistent NHS crises, and global political instability have increased fiscal uncertainty.  

While digital inclusion aligns with the government’s social justice values, making it a priority in an agenda focused on economic growth is harder. Funding is tight, yet the opportunity is too big to ignore. 

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The economic and human case 

According to 2022 research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), £13.7bn is the benefit to the economy if five million more people have the digital basics, with £9.48 back for every £1 invested. CEBR research from 2025 further shows that, if every worker could master the 20 basic digital tasks deemed essential for the modern workplace, it could lead to a £23.1bn Gross Value Add increase each year. That, in turn, could fuel a £10.3bn annual uplift in earnings.  

The human opportunity is also clear. We know that investing in digital inclusion transforms lives, opening up jobs, health and connections for people who are otherwise shut out. Our Good Things Foundation Digital Nation 2025 research found that 7.9 million people lack the digital skills needed to participate in basic online tasks, and 1.9 million people struggle to afford even mobile connectivity.  

In a fair society, everyone should be able to participate in the modern online world. 

Scaling up digital inclusion 

To deliver digital inclusion at scale, we need sustained investment and cross-government collaboration. Good Things Foundation is calling on the government to think innovatively about ways to increase investment in digital inclusion and ensure inclusive economic growth. This could give teeth to the new Government Ministerial Group on Digital Inclusion, chaired by Minister Sir Chris Bryant. 

One initial idea involves embedding digital inclusion into government procurement, meaning businesses would be asked to outline ‘social value’ within a winning contract.  

The government also has a new Office for Investment that works across departments and includes ‘impact capital’ – a mix of conventional investment, social investment and philanthropy. Could impact capital be available to deliver key outcomes such as (good old-fashioned) channel shift for big public services such as the NHS? Or could the government invest 1% (or more) of the Digital Services Tax income annually in building a more inclusive digital society? In the UK, this tax is expected to bring in £800m in 2025. 

Spending better, not just more 

We should weave digital inclusion into all policies that affect people on low incomes, are out of work or under-employed, have low education attainment or are in poor health. The evidence in our Digital Nation research is clear: significant proportions of people in these groups are digitally excluded. 

People have complicated lives, and those with multiple social challenges tend to have even more complicated circumstances. Digital inclusion is not a silver bullet. It won’t help all unemployed people get a job immediately. But if one in four unemployed people is also digitally excluded, then supporting them with free connectivity and skills training will remove a key barrier to work.  

Public servants need incentives too. The UK Treasury could create an ‘embedding fund’, allowing government departments to competitively bid for money to spend on digital inclusion initiatives. If funding were available to departments, it would make them accountable for pursuing digital inclusion and, even better, the bidding process would inspire departments to work together.  

Real change can also be unlocked by spending money already allocated, and spending it smarter. There’s no money – except there is: £240m will be spent on the Get Britain Working policy for the long-term unemployed. AI exemplars for public services will receive £42m in funding. There remains £2bn still to be commissioned for the government’s Project Gigabit programme, which aims to ensure 99% of the country has superfast fixed-line infrastructure.  

The government has announced just £9.5m in funding for digital inclusion for 2025, and this includes a competitive grant programme (the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund).  

But this is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed. 

Everyone has a role 

Government cannot close the digital divide alone. Many businesses have stepped up since the pandemic (including those who have collaborated as strategic partners with Good Things, such as Vodafone Three, Virgin Media O2 and Accenture), and more and more are realising that they have a role to play. Civil society can embed digital inclusion further into its activities, and more than 7,000 local cross-sector organisations are already working on digital inclusion as members of the UK’s National Digital Inclusion Network.  

Good Things Foundation and the network are supporting thousands of people every week. We help them to access essential health services, apply for benefits, manage their money or communicate with family who live far away. These are people who, without that free connectivity, that refurbished phone or laptop, or that extra confidence, would be cut off and left behind as the digital world grows without them. 

The UK is the sixth richest country in the world. We can afford this. Let’s use our resources, creativity and determination to ensure our digital future includes everyone.