Digital future must address inclusion

As we contemplate the new iPad, check emails on our blackberries and browse the web on our mobile phones, it’s easy to forget that millions of people in the UK just don’t.

Martha Lane Fox (the Digital Inclusion Champion) gave a passionate reminder of this 21st centre class divide at the Government IT 2010 event in the heart of Westminster.

As one of the opening speakers, she reminded delegates that 10 million people in the UK had never used the internet - a timely warning for anyone rushing headlong into thinking that digital is an easy win to deliver council services more efficiently.

I’ve no doubt that major savings can be made in this area but Ms Lane Fox’s theme of the social inclusion was well-directed.

She quoted the statistic that 20% of the most deprived people make up 80% of the pubic’s interaction with government bodies. Getting just a fraction of them online could save millions.

Ms Lane Fox told the conference she had no great budget to play with but she’s clearly a woman with plenty of ideas and there’s more here.

And it was good to hear Bill McCluggage, deputy chief information officer in Whitehall, take up part of his keynote speech to address the need to consider wider accessibility issues.