Waltham Forest Council’s new digital inclusion campaign: ‘Let’s Get Digital’ is live.

Let’s Get Digital will aim to ensure that every resident in the borough has the skills, tools, and support to get online, and follows on from our Digital Inclusion Strategy. One in four of our residents lack one or more Essential Digital Skills for life, and one in five residents surveyed do not have access to a laptop at home. Getting online can mean greater access to jobs and education, staying in touch with loved ones, booking doctor’s appointments and accessing all kinds of information and services.

 The campaign will:

• Promote information on cheaper broadband if residents receive benefits, via our Get Online for Less campaign strand
• Provide face to face help and support at drop-in sessions from our volunteer digital champions
• Provide digital skills courses across the borough

If you would like to find out more then please visit our webpage (www.walthamforest.gov.uk/letsgetdigital) or visit one of our local libraries. Residents who are on benefits could save up to £200 a year on their broadband bill by receiving a social tariff from their broadband provider. The available list of providers are on Ofcom’s website.

Digital Champions

The flagship project of our Digital Strategy, it is comprised of:

• The Volunteering Programme. Recruitment of Digital Champions has been launched via our Legends of the Forest. Volunteers will start appearing in our libraries for one to one support drop-in sessions.
• Digital Inclusion Fund. Seven successful voluntary organisations will be running projects to deploy Digital Champions to support residents and improve the digital inclusion of residents across the borough.

Good Things Foundation – Free Sims

We are running a national “Good Things Foundation” scheme supporting those experiencing data poverty, with free SIM cards. The service will make referrals for residents via an online form. Residents are then able to collect from one of four libraries: Chingford, Lea Bridge, Leytonstone and Walthamstow. We have been running this scheme in Waltham Forest  since late February.

Affordable Connectivity Campaign

The Affordability Campaign will include profiling of social tariffs, that are widely available from internet service providers for people in receipt of certain benefits. There is limited take up of these tariffs as the public have little awareness of these opportunities and the related savings.

Wi-Fi provision for key community settings and portable WiFi hotspot lending scheme

We are working in collaboration with fibre broadband providers to donate free lifetime broadband connections to community partners making Wi-Fi available to their service users and residents. Working with Boroughwide Connectivity, Housing and Community Assets colleagues to identify venues and locations and make the most of the social value available.

We are also gathering research to establish a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot lending scheme from Libraries. The device will provide at home broadband to residents going through transition and in need of temporary at home broadband access.