What is the strategy trying to achieve?

Integral to the successful delivery of The Plan for North Lanarkshire and The Place The Vision, the council’s Digital and IT Strategy is critical to enabling the long-term strategic vision and development of North Lanarkshire as the place to live, learn, work, invest, and visit.

The council’s new Programme of Work to 2028, approved in March 2023, sets out plans for a Digital North Lanarkshire as one of seven priorities to increase the scale and pace of change and achieve coherence across all areas of work in order to turn the council’s overall ambition of inclusive growth and prosperity for all in The Plan for North Lanarkshire into a reality.  

The Strategy provides a clear direction to ensure that there is a common shared understanding of the elements required to achieve Digital Communities, a Digital Economy, and a Digital Council, which are the three pillars of a Digital North Lanarkshire. It sets out the roadmap towards achieving a Digital North Lanarkshire, in line with the seven Programme of Work priorities. This is supported by a Delivery Plan which details the key deliverables and projects/activities. This will enable not only the delivery of critical public services and business as usual activities, but also a range of large scale transformational and investment programmes and projects.  

The impact of the global pandemic demonstrated that the modern digital world is fast moving and forever changing, with rapid advancements in technology and global connectivity. The pandemic accelerated the idea of being able to work, learn, or to do business anywhere with a bank of tools readily available to enable and support this.   

As technology continues to play an ever-increasing role, it is vital that the council – as a critical provider of public care, supports and services – does all it can to keep pace with the development of technology whilst improving user experience, focusing resources of those individuals in the most vulnerable situations and most in need, and reducing the cost of service delivery.  

Digital is no longer a thing to add on to the day job, but more of an integral way of doing those everyday activities – that make a difference to people’s lives – more efficiently and effectively. This means applying the most appropriate practices, processes and technologies to respond to the needs of North Lanarkshire’s people and communities while recognising their constantly changing and increasing expectations in an ever-evolving technological environment.  

Aligned to the national Digital Scotland strategy, A Changing Nation: How Scotland will Thrive in a Digital Work (2021), the Digital and IT Strategy recognises that a wide range of stakeholders and groups will continue to be impacted by digital transformation activity in striving to realise the vision for a Digital North Lanarkshire With an ageing demographic in North Lanarkshire, coupled with the effects of the pandemic, the dangers of digital exclusion on the many vulnerable people in local communities is becoming increasingly apparent. It is important to understand needs and to ensure no one is left behind or digitally excluded given that many of those with a greater reliance on public services are currently less likely to have access to, and use, the internet.  

The Strategy sets out plans to improve the connectivity and accessibility of North Lanarkshire as a place, but also to increase the ability of local people and communities to gain the skills and confidence required to help them benefit from the opportunities of being digitally connected. This is underpinned by six principles to ensure that people always come first regardless of the activity being delivered and no one is digitally excluded.  

Low Income 

Enhancing individuals’ digital skills will improve their employability and career prospects with the potential to address low income by enabling individuals to secure well-paid and sustainable employment and career progression in the technology sector. 

Low Wealth 

Enhancing individuals’ employability potential and career progression in the technology sector will support them in securing higher value, sustainable employment where there is also more likelihood of them being able to access employee backed pension schemes and also wider financial services such as employee sacrifice schemes to support childcare costs or spread the cost of large household items (such as a car or IT equipment). 

Similarly, individuals in permanent, well-paid employment are able to access a wider range of banking services and products (such as personal loans at lower interest rates). 

Material Deprivation 

Access to digital technology has the potential to impact positively on all households, especially families and households with children or young people where online learning and training make it easier to study remotely or work efficiently and productively from home. 

Older people can also benefit from increased accessibility to online services and support (such as telecare or support for independent living) and also the ability to connect with families and friends who may live some distance away, plus the ability to access online leisure activities. 

Area Deprivation 

Access to affordable broadband in remote communities or areas experiencing high levels of low income and poverty will improve access to online services, increase choice, and enable people living in these areas to participate more easily in public life without the requirement and associated expense of travelling into the larger towns or villages. 

Details of the impact on the strategy of specific groups and individuals 

• An ageing population and combination of higher life expectancy with lower healthy life expectancy add to the range of different and complex economic, social, and health issues that exist across North Lanarkshire at a local level.  These issues present significant challenges for the future shape and delivery of local public services and the resources required to deliver them. While older people may not necessarily require formal support as they live longer,  the evidence suggests that with healthy life expectancy decreasing people are more likely to develop health conditions which may become complex and result in a growing reliance on local services.  For older people the best approach to gaining digital skills is through ongoing support, tailored to their needs and preferences, and delivered on a one-to-one basis and helping them to benefit from accessing the internet for increasing quality of life and wellbeing, alleviating loneliness and isolation, accessing good and services, and accessing public services. 

• Many disabled people have recognised the benefits of technology in bringing them equality of access in relation to services, work, and information and are experiencing greater opportunities than ever. However, for some, difficulties are experienced in terms of identifying sources of information, guidance, and training in relation to assistive devices for example. 

• Research also shows there are barriers for low-income groups due to digital access, connectivity, usage, and capabilities. Children living in poverty or are care experienced/looked after and accommodated often do not have basic digital skills and internet usage among young people is largely mobile/app based, which may offer disadvantages over the use of laptops/desktops. Young people may not use the same channels to receive information as other groups, they may not have their own email or mobile numbers registered and these could frequently change which can present additional barriers to accessing online solutions. Lack of awareness or the ability to make informed choices based on knowledge and experience could also potentially be an issue for this group, as they may not be high service users. 

• Homeless people are likely to be affected by digital access, connectivity, usage, and capability issues and similar to travellers, they often only have mobile phones, on a pay-as-you-go basis meaning access to services and support issues can arise when freephone numbers are not provided. 

• Accessing digital benefits is more difficult and less likely in older people whose first language isn’t English. Older British Sign Language users are less likely to use the internet and some even use a fax machine to communicate. Existing data shows that many older Asian people are less likely to have used the internet in comparison with white people in the same age group.  

• For many Asylum seekers English is unlikely to be their first language and combined with a potentially low income this may result in difficulties with accessing digital technology and the associated benefits.  

Actions planned to mitigate any adverse impact or to promote equality 

The Digital and IT Strategy acknowledges that efforts to move services online may be particularly disadvantageous for certain vulnerable groups. At the heart of the Strategy is a vision that no one be digitally excluded and as result investment is targeted in digital and technological solutions that will provide the most benefit to the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. Engagement with the Driving Digitally Local digital sub-group provides a unique opportunity to link directly with local communities and design systems that meet their needs and requirements.  

The Strategy sets out a number of projects and activities ranging from new automation to reduce the number of steps required to complete a transaction to the introduction of  digital adaptations that will assist the older generation to remain in their homes for a greater time period. All of which will assist in achieving the aim of establishing local communities where everyone has the advantage of equal opportunity.  

Result of the Equality Impact Assessment 

Implement the Digital and IT Strategy in March 2024.