Haringey Council has officially adopted a new Digital Inclusion Policy, aiming to ensure all residents can access council services digitally by choice and preventing anyone from being excluded as services transition online. The policy, approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, is accompanied by an Enhanced Offer detailed in the Digital Inclusion Roadmap.
The decision was driven by a commitment to long-term, sustainable digital inclusion initiatives, which are considered fundamental to achieving the borough's vision, reducing inequalities, and improving financial, health, and social outcomes. The policy acknowledges that digital inclusion is essential for the council to provide vital services and foster an inclusive borough.
The Digital Inclusion Roadmap is expected to have a lasting positive impact on communities by providing more equitable access to services. The Enhanced Offer, which was recommended and approved, includes a strengthened programme of digital inclusion services. This will involve providing direct digital inclusion support through volunteer digital ambassadors, hosting a Digital Inclusion Fair, and developing a local circular economy device donation and recycling scheme.
Implementing the Enhanced Offer will require a modest additional budget and the recruitment of an apprentice. The Cabinet considered three scalable offers for the roadmap: the Core Offer, the Enhanced Offer, and the Complete Offer, ultimately opting for the Enhanced Offer as the most suitable path forward.
The Enhanced Offer was chosen as it includes everything in the Core Offer, alongside a strengthened programme of digital inclusion services designed to deliver sustainable long-term benefits for residents. Specifically, the Enhanced Offer includes:
- Providing digital inclusion support directly in the community through the recruitment, training, and management of volunteer digital ambassadors.
- Hosting a Digital Inclusion Fair with partner organisations to showcase the full range of support available.
- Developing a hyper-local circular economy device donation and recycling scheme for the borough.
In contrast, the Core Offer, which was not recommended, represented the service that could be provided within existing financial resources. It covered the work already underway to assess digital support needs in the borough, including expanding the National Device Bank and National Databank offer, establishing a digital inclusion network with councillors, services, the NHS, VCS, and other interested parties, and seeking external funding through social value commitments in relevant council contracts, government grants, charitable foundations, and corporate sponsors to fund long-term sustainable initiatives.
The Complete Offer, which was also not recommended, would have incorporated all elements of the Core and Enhanced Offers, along with additional services to enable Haringey to deliver a highly ambitious programme of digital inclusion initiatives and realise the full range of associated benefits. This would have included establishing a digital device loan scheme, expanding the Digital Cost of Living skills programme, hosting two Digital Inclusion Fairs per year, purchasing subscriptions to the Digital Unite Inspire programme, and launching a Digital Bus scheme.
More details on the Digital Inclusion Policy and Roadmap can be found in the Adoption of a Digital Inclusion Policy and Roadmap report.
