Merseyside Digital Development

Sunderland was unveiled yesterday as the winner of Communities and Local Government’s Digital Challenge competition and will receive £3m to deliver its plans for a digitally enabled community that will benefit some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded people in the area.

As the winner of the Digital Challenge, Sunderland is now recognised as an example in how ICT technologies can be used to tackle social exclusion.

Sunderland’s proposals will see its community benefiting from a number of initiatives, such as: Community e-Champions working in their local area to help vulnerable people access computer and internet services, helping children at risk of underachieving at Key Stage 3 and an e-mentoring scheme working for children and young people. The bid will also meet the needs of carers and looked after children through a walkie-talkie and panic buttons.

The Digital Challenge saw cities, towns and regions outline their visions for a digitally enabled society designed to better meet the needs of local communities and citizens. Greater Merseyside’s bid (led by the GMDDA), narrowly missed going forward to the final ten, after jointly winning the Northwest heat with the One Manchester project. Since the finalists were announced last year, the ten regional partnerships have been working together and have formed the DC10.

Minister for Local e-Government, Angela Smith, said:

“Digital Inclusion is about more than new technologies. It is an opportunity to solve problems and improve the lives of people in our communities. As the winner of the Digital Challenge, Sunderland should be seen as an example of how the social and digital divide can be bridged and serve as a blueprint for local partnerships for the future.

“All the finalists have led the way in the UK and should be seen as true regional digital inclusion champions. Together as the new DC10 they will continue to galvanise thinking, unleash creativity and raise the agenda, both locally and nationally.”

ICT is now firmly embedded as an enabler for social inclusion in the government’s Local Government White Paper for the delivery of the Local Area Agreements and Local Strategic Partnerships targets, as well as within the Transformation Government agenda and within the Varney Report.

Read more here: http://www.digitalchallenge.gov.uk/digital-challenge-competition