Digital Inclusion in the UK: What Gedling Borough Council Revealed About the Real Barriers
In partnership with Socitm, Impera Analytics played a central role as an evaluator on this digital inclusion pilot for Gedling. Working alongside Gedling Borough Council and their chosen delivery partner, Impera designed the evaluation framework, ensured methodological rigour, and provided an evidence-led assessment of what was working — and what was not. This included validating the data-driven targeting approach, analysing resident feedback across all
engagement activities, and synthesising insights into the systemic barriers residents faced.
Impera’s involvement ensured that the findings were not only grounded in lived experience but also robust enough to inform future policy and practice at both local and national levels.
Every day, millions of people in the UK are locked out of services many take for granted — not because they lack intelligence or willingness, but because digital services are not designed with them in mind. Gedling Borough Council set out to change that. Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and delivered in partnership with an externally chosen delivery partner, Gedling’s digital inclusion pilot ran from December 2025 to March 2026 — and
what it uncovered has implications far beyond a single borough.
This pilot revealed that digital inclusion is about ensuring everyone can access, use, and benefit from digital technology — regardless of age, income, disability, or location. It goes beyond simply getting people online. It encompasses internet accessibility, digital literacy, affordable connectivity, and, critically, services that are designed to work for real users. When people are digitally excluded, they are unable to book GP appointments, apply for benefits, manage bills, or access essential council services. The digital divide is not just a technology issue — it is a question of equity.
To address this, Gedling Borough Council identified three Lower Super Output Areas with the highest levels of digital exclusion risk. Using a triangulated data approach — combining the Index of Multiple Deprivation, the Digital Exclusion Risk Index, and the Digital Propensity Index — the team developed a focused, evidence-based action plan targeting the communities most in need.
Eighty-three residents were engaged across eight community venues. While expected barriers such as cost and connectivity were present, one finding stood above the rest: poor user experience is a far greater barrier to digital inclusion than is often recognised. Fourteen of the thirty-three free-text responses referenced difficulties with usability — more than cost, skills, or access to devices. Residents described NHS identity checks so complex they abandoned the
process entirely, online forms that required switching between applications, intrusive pop-up ads, AI-generated content that undermined trust, and technical language in GP and benefits systems that made even confident users hesitate — including young carers navigating systems on behalf of others.