Digital Inclusion - Agenda for Change

Addressing the digital divide across Greater Manchester

The Greater Manchester Digital Blueprint sets out the vision for Greater Manchester to be a world-class leading digital city-region, centred around a focus on empowering businesses and  people in the region. 

Cllr Sean Fielding, GMCA Lead for Employment, Skills and Digital said: "I’m proud to announce our intention that Greater Manchester be a 100% digitally enabled city-region, a region that puts people at the heart of our plans. Access to the digital world should be a basic human right, everyone in Greater Manchester whatever their age, location, or situation, should be able to benefit from the opportunities digital brings." 

Covid-19 has illustrated that digital inclusion should now be considered a human right and connectivity as a basic utility.  A report produced by The Good Things Foundation and Liverpool University in 2020 suggests that levels of digital exclusion is much worse than previously thought. As many as 1.2m residents in Greater Manchester could be excluded in some way to access the benefits digital brings.

In October 2020 the Digital Inclusion Agenda for Change for Greater Manchester was launched, with a bold ambition to make Greater Manchester a 100% digitally-enabled city region. To deliver the ambition to become a 100% digitally-enabled city region, the Greater Manchester Digital Inclusion Taskforce was set up in December 2020.

The Greater Manchester Digital Inclusion Taskforce

The Digital Inclusion Taskforce brings together industry, VCSC sector, public sector partners, local government, schools and health to fix the digital divide across Greater Manchester.

The Taskforce will focus and shape an action plan to address the interrelated barriers to digital inclusion and the digital divide such as connectivity, accessibility, affordability, skills, motivation and confidence.

Join our Digital Inclusion Taskforce

Join our commitment to drive a 100% digitally-enabled city-region, express your interest by completing this form and we'll be in touch.

Express your interest (form - external website)

Below, you'll also find some of the ways Greater Manchester is addressing the digital divide, including digital inclusion support in each local authority area, as well as news and updates as we progress on our mission to become a 100% digitally enabled city region.