The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has said that thousands of Londoners including those from Ealing have been helped to get online with free training and receiving donated laptops and mobile phones.
Across Ealing around 571 SIMs to get internet access have been provided and 31 devices to use have also been received to give to people to get online.
In London, overall an estimated 270,000 people have no access to the internet or digital access with another two million said to have very limited use.
The Mayor and London Councils have been working with digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation and partners in the public and private sector to overcome these barriers.
Through the Get Online London scheme, overall it has provided free digital skills training to more than 10,000 Londoners and distributed nearly 2,000 laptops and mobiles and over 25,000 sim cards to those Londoners who are digitally-excluded.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “From arranging healthcare appointments to completing job applications, access to both services and to skills are increasingly dependent on our ability to get online. However, the sad reality is that many Londoners lack the confidence or resources to access technology. Get Online London is working to ensure all Londoners have the knowledge and tools they need to make the most of the internet.
“We’ve made great progress in the past year but there is still more to do. I’m calling on more large businesses and organisations to support us in our mission to provide digital access for all. Starting with getting 75,000 Londoners online and kickstarting a sustainable service to bridge the digital divide and help keep us connected. Together, we can build a fairer, more accessible and more prosperous London for all.”
Helen Milner OBE, group chief executive from Good Things Foundation said: “I’m so proud to celebrate these milestones along with the continued support for Get Online London – London’s first ever digital inclusion service and thank The Mayor of London and the London Office of Technology and Innovation for working with Good Things Foundation to deliver it.
“It’s already tackling digital exclusion through the essential combined offer of devices, data and digital skills support – but with more than 1.6 million Londoners lacking basic digital skills – and 6% of London households without any internet-enabled device at all – we need to do more to help the most vulnerable people in our society connect with digital. That’s why I’m asking more businesses to join the campaign to help us achieve our target of supporting 75,000 Londoners to get online over the next 3 years. Together, we can help fix the digital divide – for good.”
