According to OfCom

If you are elderly, a low-earner, unemployed or live in social housing, you are less likely to be able to access the internet from your home or have the digital skills to take advantage of being online.

ITV’s Tonight programme Visits project in conjunction with Leeds Council

Thankfully, this issue has been given oxygen by ITV’s Tonight programme, who visited a project that we have been involved in with Leeds City Council to combat digital exclusion by connecting two of the city’s tower blocks to free broadband.

The partnership is part of the council’s 100% Digital Leeds programme aimed at giving every resident the access and skills to make the most out of the internet.

Highspeed broadband delivered to a social housing project

Leeds City Council estimates 38% of its 57,000 social housing residences don’t have permanent access to the internet. As part of the 14 month trial, we connected 160 social housing residences to free wireless broadband. It is streamed to the Grayson Crest and Clyde Grange tower blocks via radio antenna and offers 5 Mbps broadband residents to log on whenever they want.

Feedback from residents connected to broadband as part of the project

It resulted in some absolutely brilliant feedback.

Grayson Crest resident Oliver had been searching for a job for three years without an internet connection. Four days after he was connected to 6G internet, he secured a job he found on Gumtree as a warehouse forklift driver.

He told us: “It’s the difference between being on £46 a week benefit and earning a good wage. £46 just goes in a day – I couldn’t do anything with my kids. Now I can take them swimming or to the seaside. I’ve started saving money for a better car and I can meet my friends without worrying about money.

“Without an internet connection, I was searching for a job by buying newspapers or going to the library. After three years it gets disheartening – you just give up. Phone credit wasn’t cheap – if you want unlimited internet you’re talking £30 a month, so it was even difficult being able to talk to friends on social media. Now I can use my laptop at home. It’s made a big difference.”

Our partner at Leeds City Council, tenant engagement manager Ian Montgomery, said: “We know people suffer from a lower quality of life as a result of being unable to access the social, educational, financial, recreational and health benefits of being online.

“By connecting these flats to the internet and supporting people to learn how to use the technology, we are helping residents to find improved deals and save money, apply for jobs, manage finances and maintain contact with family and friends. It also helps the council to be more efficient, as residents are able to access online services to claim benefits, report issues and make payments.”

Ian Montgomery – Tenant Engagement Manager – Leeds City Council

We are very proud of our work to connect more people to a better quality of life through free broadband. If you’re part of a local authority and interested in partnering with us, you can make an enquiry here.

Part of Salford University’s ONECPD programme of professional development, the annual event brings together industry leaders and academics to highlight innovative approaches to digitalising housing services.

This year’s Queen’s Speech announced new reforms in social housing, with newly-digitalised services having important role to play in the government’s strategy to bring digital inclusion to all. From the use of artificial intelligence for housing repair requests, to analysing data to predict future tenant behaviour, this year’s conference provided valuable insight into how housing providers can make the most of the digital revolution.

However, Tahir’s message was a simple one: If tenants aren’t connected, they can’t be included. Speaking to delegates from across the housing sector about 6G Internet’s own experience working with Leeds City Council, he highlighted the significant percentage of social housing that has no permanent internet connection at all. In Leeds it’s estimated to be 25% of all social housing, while the government’s own national digital inclusion strategy estimates that 38% of people without a permanent connection live in social housing.

This is not just a hindrance to providers wishing to digitise their own services. Having no home internet is recognised as a marker for living in poverty, with tenants unable to access the best deals on shopping, utilities or credit. It significantly impacts their ability to manage their money through online banking, apply for jobs or government support, access online training or even simply keep in touch with family and friends.

In Leeds and nationwide, 6G Internet’s solution is to work with local authorities and housing associations to connect social housing to wireless broadband that tenants can access for free. In addition to uncapped access to government websites, tenants receive a permanent 1 Mbps connection with the option to upgrade to unlimited internet and faster speeds whenever they want.

During trials in two Leeds tower blocks, 35% of tenants accessed the free internet every day, with one resident finding a full-time job online four days after being connected. He had been job-searching offline for more than three years.

Yes, the digital revolution offers housing associations a tremendous opportunity to engage better with their tenants while providing more inclusive, efficient and cost-effective services. But more than that, it can offer people living in poverty a route to a better standard of living.