Disconnected Britain: New National Plan Demands Government Action Now

The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) has updated its National Delivery and Advocacy Plan as part of a landmark strategy to end digital poverty in the UK by 2030 through policy and practice. With three sharpened core messages, the plan outlines how, by driving meaningful, measurable action across government, industry, and communities we can ensure digital access is not a privilege but a basic right for all. 

Following the recent launch of the government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), the Digital Poverty Alliance’s National Delivery Plan builds on this momentum, transforming strategic intent into practical, measurable action. As an extension of the DIAP’s mission, the plan is a call for urgent investment in practical solutions that reach the 19 million people in the UK affected by the digital divide. 

At the core of the National Delivery and Advocacy Plan is the principle that digital access is a basic right for all and there needs to be a push to recognise digital inclusion as essential to participation in modern life. 

The plan highlights local action as the catalyst for national change, emphasising a focus on empowering communities to create inclusive, innovative and locally tailored solutions to addressing digital exclusion. 

Underpinning the plan is the message that delivery ultimately defines success and calls for clear accountability across the sectors, ensuring the Digital Inclusion Action Plan delivers on its commitments to provide access, skills and support to those who need it most.  

Education is another critical area where digital exclusion deepens existing inequalities. The National Delivery and Advocacy Plan stresses that without equitable access to digital tools, connectivity, and skills, children and young people risk being left behind in an increasingly digital-first education system. From completing homework and accessing online learning platforms to developing the digital competencies required for future careers, digital access is now fundamental to educational success.

To tackle this, the plan reinforces the need for every learner, regardless of background, to have access to their own device, reliable internet, and the digital support required to thrive. It calls for stronger collaboration between schools, local authorities, and industry to embed digital inclusion in education policy, and to ensure that teachers and support staff are equipped to identify and address digital barriers among pupils. Bridging the digital divide in education is essential not only to improve attainment today, but to open up opportunity for the next generation.

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance commented: 

“We’ve updated the National Delivery and Advocacy Plan to make one thing clear: digital poverty in the UK is solvable, but only if we act decisively, and together. Building on the government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan, this update is about turning ambition into action, and setting out the practical steps needed to ensure digital access is recognised not as a privilege, but as a basic right. 

“Ending digital poverty means making bold, practical commitments – and delivering on them. From investing in local solutions to holding sectors accountable for delivery, this plan is a call to all of us – government, industry, and communities – to do more, and do it now.”

The DPA’s plan also warns that existing models, notably limited, poorly located public access points, are no longer fit for purpose. To close the digital divide, national strategy must invest in scalable, community-based innovation that meets people where they are. 

Elizabeth emphasised: 

“That’s why we’re calling for zero-rated access to essential online services, 1:1 devices for every school-aged child, and a clear responsibility on employers to assess digital inclusion in their own workforce. This plan is about removing barriers and ensuring everyone can fully participate in our digital society.”

The revised National Delivery and Advocacy Plan builds on the success of the Digital Inclusion Charter launched last year and reinforces the DPA’s vision of a digitally inclusive UK by 2030.