Scottish Government opens applications for funding to combat digital exclusion

The Scottish Government has opened applications for a scheme intended to combat the digital exclusion gap in Scotland. 

The Connecting Scotland Digital Inclusion Fund has a budget of over £440,000 and applicants can apply for grants of up to £50,000 to “increase digital participation” around Scotland.  

The fund is open to local authorities, charities, research organisations and voluntary sector organisations who want to start new projects that support the government's goals of eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency and delivering high-quality, sustainable public services. 

The scheme opened just over a month after a warning was issued to ministers by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisation (SCVO) about a crisis of digital exclusion in Scotland. The SCVO warned that vulnerable members of the public face increasing inequality and significant disadvantages if gaps in digital inclusion aren’t rectified.  

According to the SCVO, nine per cent of household in Scotland have no access to the internet and 15 per cent of adults lack foundational digital skills such as using a mobile phone or managing passwords. This is in line with a report from the UK government that showed 1.6m million people in the UK can’t access the online world. 

The programme is supported by the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, a scheme launched in August by the UK Government. This fund granted Scotland £764,020 to close the digital divide. 

To qualify for funding, applicants to the scheme must provide innovative ideas that are aimed to increase digital participation while targeting a range of demographics most at risk of experiencing exclusion from digital services. These demographics include those over 60, people in insecure housing, and those living in rural and island communities.  

Last August, Audit Scotland raised concerns that one in six Scottish adults lacked the necessary skills to use digital services, putting them at risk of “not being able to fully realise their human rights.”  

The human rights at risk include the right to a fair trial and the right to education, as access to essential services would be limited by a lack of digital proficiency. 

“Without action, Scotland risks falling further behind,” said the SCVO. “Leaving vulnerable individuals excluded from healthcare, education, employment and connection.” 

The 2024 Audit Scotland report also raised concerns that that public bodies like councils have taken a “digital by default” approach when implementing new systems, not fully considering the needs of those who are “digitally excluded” leaving them unable to access online services. 

In September, the Scottish Government launched a scheme in collaboration with the Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) network, Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub to provide 1,200 smartphones to vulnerable people across 12 local authorities. The scheme provides phones loaded with free data to enable those who need it to access a range of services from online booking systems for GP appointments to applications for welfare and emergency housing.  

“Ensuring equitable access to digital tools and services is fundamental to a fairer, more inclusive society,” said business minister Richard Lochead at the launch of the scheme. “By providing refurbished smartphones and free mobile data to those most in need, this initiative is enabling individuals to engage more fully with essential services, employment opportunities and their communities.”