Related strategies
The Technology and Digital Strategy outlines opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and need to leverage our relationships with partners both within and outside the council.
As such, it takes both internal and external strategies, policies, and programmes into account.
This will ensure we are not working in isolation, and we are all working towards the same objectives.
External
UK Digital Strategy
The UK Digital Strategy outlines its ambitions in creating a digital economy, which is resilient to change and fit for the future. Comprising of seven pillars, it focuses on building a world-leading digital economy that works for everyone including:
- ensuring that we continue to tackle the root causes of digital exclusion, and that everyone can increase their digital capability to make the most of the digital world
- developing the full range of digital skills that individuals and companies across the country need in an increasingly digital economy, and supporting people to up-skill, and re-skill throughout their working lives
- strong collaboration between the public, private, and third sector to tackle the digital skills gap in a co-ordinated and coherent way. To ensure the sum is greater than the parts, and everyone, everywhere has better access to the training they want
GLA Digital Access Mission
The GLA has an ambition for Every Londoner to have access to good connectivity, basic digital skills and the device or support they need to be online by 2025.
To facilitate this, the GLA are working in partnership with LOTI on the Digital Inclusion Innovation Programme, a £1.36million programme to tackle digital exclusion.
Internal
Digital Skills Delivery Plan
The Local Economy Team are leading on the Digital Skills action plan and leading the ‘Southwark Essential Digital Skills Group’. This is an informal partnership of local organisations that have an interest in working together to improve outcomes for Southwark residents who lack essential digital skills.
Objective 1: A shared understanding of need and demand for essential digital skills in Southwark
Objective 2: Collectively deliver sufficient, accessible provision that responds to learner needs.
Objective 3: A collaborative approach to innovation.
Climate Change Strategy & Action Plan
The climate emergency affects us all, and the Southwark Council action plan outlines how we will contribute to ending global warming, whilst delivering new green jobs. We recognise that digital can be an enabler for reducing our carbon footprint and waste such as the reduction of travel and the use of printed documents as we move to hybrid working.
Under the ‘Reduce unnecessary journeys theme’, staff will be supported to choose appropriate locations prior to, after or between meeting residents to carry out work rather than travelling back to an office location if it is not necessary.
It will use the Digital Infrastructure Strategy to facilitate the provision of widespread Wi-Fi and high- speed internet, to less well-connected areas across the borough to facilitate agile/teleworking.
As part of the digital inclusion report and action plan, we are also committed to recycling and redistributing disused devices to reduce waste in the borough and will work closely with LOTI to deliver this.
Southwark Stands Together
Southwark Stands Together (SST) is a borough wide initiative, in response to the killing of George Floyd, the injustice and racism experienced by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, and to the inequalities exposed by COVID-19.
Two of the themes focuses on education and communities and it is vital that when we reach out to these communities, we are not excluding those that may not be online. Part of this ambitions in this report is to work closely with the SST Programme Lead, to ensure digitally excluded residents are engaged with as part of the Southwark Stands Together engagement.
Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2027
As a borough we are committed to providing additional support to residents that have the poorest outcomes, focusing our efforts on our most disadvantaged neighbourhoods and communities. Our call to action for the borough and partners is to unite to tackle inequalities wherever they may be.
Our five priorities outline how we want to build on the progress we have made as a partnership and address the challenges that our residents continue to face.
Drive 1: A whole-family approach to giving children the best start in life.
Drive 2: Healthy employment and good health for working age adults across the health and wellbeing economy.
Drive 3: Early identification and support to stay well.
Drive 4: Strong and connected communities.
Drive 5: Integration of Health and Social Care.
Page last updated: 08 May 2024
