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Articles A game of two halves... For as long as we've been talking about digital, we've been talking about divide. You might think it's all over, but actually the digital divide is more like a game of two halves... In the first half, it's been seen primarily in terms of access - broadband penetration, community computers, website development. Tackle access and the journey to becoming a self-sufficient internet user was thought to be inevitable. But in focussing on the technology, have we lost sight of the audience? Around 92 per cent of public services are now available online, potentially giving all citizens new opportunities to interact directly with government. But how many people are actually taking-up those opportunities, and are they the people government most needs to reach? A MORI/Microsoft poll recently shed more light on the situation. It found that only 36 per cent of the population ever use public services on the web, and the percentages only decreased for those out of work, over 65, or otherwise at a social 'disadvantage'. It seems those who stand in most need of public services are those least likely to get to them online. As the digital divide has evolved, it's become entwined with social divides. IT is no longer a choice, it's increasingly a necessity, with 90 per cent of all new jobs requiring computer skills. If we are to effectively tackle social exclusion, we need to tackle digital exclusion, and e-government lies at the centre of the two. Plans outlined in the Varney Report to shift more services from face-to-face to digital channels mean we need to do more work to ensure those digital channels are reaching socially excluded people. If the goal is to bridge the digital divide, we're going to have to change our tactics. The second half isn't about 'access', it's about motivating people to try e-services, and helping them use them effectively. It's time to bring fresh players onto the field. What's required to recruit the e-service users from the groups government needs to reach is an intermediary between personal and digital. UK online centres may originally have been on the team to help with access, but they I believe they can fill a new position in the mid-field - bridging the gap between citizen and state. Recent research, undertaken on behalf of UK online centres by Simpson Carpenter, has found a helping hand is crucial if socially excluded people are to make the most of e-government. The research looks at the results of a pilot in the South West, which saw UK online centres working with selected local authority and central government websites to support customers in using them. Results showed a staggering 97 per cent of people were reassured just by having UK online centre staff around to support their first online transactions, and those most in need of help were often from socially disadvantaged groups. With a little help, we found most people can become t-government players. Services covered by the pilot included Directgov and NHS Direct, pension forecasts and credit, housing benefit and council tax. Users were also encouraged and helped to make use of online job search and course search facilities. Researchers could identify individuals who were both digitally excluded and had a 'social need' to contact government. Across England that's a significant audience - an estimated 6.6m adults. For many of the people taking part in the pilot, it was just the beginning. Around 20 per cent of participants originally knew nothing about the internet, and 60 per cent of those left satisfied they knew enough to do what they wanted to do. Nearly half of the customers followed up after six months said using the internet had been a big benefit to their lives. 45 per cent had found useful government or local authority information, 18 per cent had enrolled on a training course, and 9 per cent had gone on to get a new job. Creating a stepping stone between face-to-face and digital isn't just the key to recruiting hard to reach e-government customers, it can kick-start wider benefits for the individual, the government, and ultimately for society and the economy as a whole. Individual impact isn't just about idealism, it's about economics, and it's been something of a hole in the defence for transformational government to date. I'd like to see focus turn back to the people government is 'transforming' for. It's only by focusing on users that e-services can be improved to meet their needs, and Varney's vision for a future of equal, digital citizens can truly be realised. To get UK online centres playing for t-government would involve perhaps the most reasonable transfer fee ever. UK online centres are already established, working with the communities transformational government needs to target, and ready and waiting to get playing. We're even limbering up, as the 6,000 centres across England continue to work on various local and national e-government projects. With £500m of previous government investment, it's time to put the UK online centre network on the pitch. Every citizen should have equal opportunity to contact and transact with government, because the fact is, this isn't a game. This is about people's lives and life chances. Digital and social equity is not inevitable, and it's not going to happen overnight. By working together we can make sure that when it comes to transformational government, there is no second division. Helen Milner
Managing Director, UK online centres
Fan, Sunderland AFC
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