Presentation by Leigh Smyth, Managing Director of Race Online 2012, during the first plenary 'Promoting Well-being in London's communities - The here and now' at the third London Well-being Conference.

1. Leigh Smyth
Managing Director
Race Online 2012

2. “Digital literacy is a great enabler of social mobility… it can break down
feelings of social isolation.”
Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP
“I call on every social landlord to look long and hard at how they can help
their tenants get online. Government is committed to helping demolish this
unacceptable digital divide.”
Rt Hon Grant Shapps, Housing Minister
“It is vital, and achievable, that housing professionals rise to the challenge
and opportunity of bringing residents online. It's essential to give residents
all the tools and skills to manage their lives.”
Martha Lane Fox, UK Digital Champion

3. “Vulnerable groups are concentrated in the social
housing sector” – Shelter – More than 3 challenges
!!
• 9.5m people in 4.1m homes
• 44% of households’ income <£10,000 (England)
• 60% of tenants economically inactive (31% retired and
29% sick/disabled/full-time students/looking after family
or home) (England)
• 21% of +65yr olds live in social housing (England)
• 44% of single parents live in social housing (England)

4. Well-being = digital capability = opportunities
ONS domains to measure subjective well-being:
RELATIONSHIPS
3.1 million 65yr olds don’t see a Internet access enables closer and more regular
family, friend or neighbour even contact with friends and family, decreasing
once a week (Participle) isolation
More than half of +75yr olds live 96% of Internet users say the Internet has
alone (Age UK) improved their life (UKonline)
1 million +65yr olds “always or The Internet has a direct positive impact on life
often feel lonely” (Age UK) satisfaction (BCS)
WHAT WE DO
Internet users report higher levels Internet access enables lifelong learning
of happiness, self-confidence and opportunities, more choice and control of
overall quality of life than non-users healthcare options
(UK Online)

5. Well-being = digital capability = opportunities
ONS domains to measure subjective well-being:
HEALTH
39% +65yr olds have a disability Mobility barriers are eased by online shopping,
(ONS) communication, banking and bill-payment
Around half of those offline in the Internet users feel less worried about health
UK have a disability (ONS) issues (Freshminds/UKO)
PERSONAL FINANCE
Shopping and paying bills online People in 3.6 million low income and digitally
saves the average household £560 excluded households (9% of UK adults) could be
per year (PwC) saving over £1 billion per year (PwC)
WHERE WE LIVE
HomeSwap Direct is an online-only government scheme designed to increase the
mobility of social housing tenants (DCLG)

6. Well-being = digital capability = opportunities
ONS domains to measure subjective well-being:
EDUCATION & SKILLS
Children in homes with Internet If the 1.6 million children in families not using
access can achieve 2 grades higher the Internet got online at home, it could boost
(e-Learning Foundation) their total lifetime earnings by over £10 billion
(PwC)
Internet users are 25% more Estimated lifetime benefit of £12,000 for
confident of their skills to get a new unemployed people getting online and
job (Freshminds) increasing employment chances (PwC)
Digitally excluded employed people People with good ICT skills earn between 3%
can increase their career choices and 10% more than people without (PwC) Over
90% of all new jobs require ICT skills

7. Digital technology meets the twin imperatives of social
housing
1. deliver more for less
2. fulfil core social commitments
Low Digital Capability in UK Social Housing
• 40+% of adults in UK social housing not online
• 200 social housing providers = 75% of stock / 3m homes / 7m people
• Home Access programme = 90% retained/paid for internet post grant
support

8. Digital By Default Social Housing - Business Case
measured benefits for tenants, housing providers and
government
Broad brush analysis = £3bn total UK benefits
•Housing Providers cost-effective communications = £340m pa
•4.1m adults offline pay bills and shop online = £530m pa (lowest decile)
•245,000 children in offline social housing boost future earnings = £1.5bn
•Just 3.5% of people offline and unemployed find work online = £217m
•Just 3.5% of people offline and in work developed their ICT skills = £750m
•Local government moves online just one monthly transaction with offline adults = £360m pa
•Wellbeing and reduced isolation for tenants
Peabody – estimated savings
•£330,792 = 125,300 annual tenant contacts moved online from telephone
•£219,667 = moving repairs and maintenance enquiries online
•8% saving on transaction costs = rent payments made online (currently 5%)
•Also anticipate fewer rent arrears + faster and cheaper income collection process

9. Digital Housing – ministerial summit and beyond
• December communiqué to all HA CEOs – Housing Minister, National Housing
Federation, Local Govt Assoc, Chartered Institute of Housing, RO12
• CLG scoping ‘Digital Deal’ + internet as “4th Utility”
• Sector focusing on solutions, programmes
• HAs consolidating – UKO SHPDISG, www.digitalhousinghub.ning.com,
BDUK endorses Go ON Places model (LAs + HAs working together)
• Housing providers looking for solutions (big investment from Peabody, Home
Group, Whitefriars, many others)
“Housing minister pledges to end „digital
apartheid‟ in social housing tenants”

10. What social housing providers can do – 5 opportunities
 Join the www.DigitalHousingHub.ning.com
 Prepare an organisation wide Digital Strategy
 Promote low cost (sub £100) computers and connectivity
deals - bit.ly/LowCostKit
• Microsoft backed, Get Online @ Home: Refurbished PCs with Win7
• Remploy: Refurbished PCs with open source software
• PCXUK: Refurbished PCs with Win7
 Promote the free local internet taster session Freephone
helpline - 0800 77 1234
 Support Go ON Get Local & Recruit Digital Champions at
www.go-on.co.uk/champions

11. A Digital Champion
Someone who helps someone else to take their first steps
online
 Main barriers for non-users = poor understanding of benefits (64%) and
cost (23%)
 30m UK adults use the internet on a daily basis
 1/3 of internet user are willing to pass on skills
INSPIRE
Promoting the
benefits not
just the
price/spec
NETWORKED
UK
8.4 MILLION
people have
never used the
internet
ENCOURAGE SUPPORT
Access to low-
Low-cost/Free cost hardware
IT skills training connectivity

12. Go ON get local
What is it?
•scaling the national RO2012 challenge down to targeted local activity
•a blueprint for Local Authority-lead sustainable action
•leverage Race Online 2012 national partners – such as UK online centre network, Job
Centre Plus, Mecca Bingo – joined up with vital local partners i.e. voluntary sector,
housing
•RO2012 tools: digital champions, and teaching/marketing aides, low-cost kit
•media buzz and awareness raising
Go On get local – is active in Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley, North
Yorkshire
Go On London
•6 host boroughs = ‘biggest area of non-employment in Europe’
•Political buy-in from leaders and mayors of 6 host boroughs – Hackney, Tower Hamlets,
Waltham Forest, Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich
•Pending data to confirm ONS/Experian stats re levels of offline population (30% in
Hackney vs UK average of 16%) target to be placed on Host boroughs Unit Strategic
Regeneration Framework (ie ‘Convergence’ target)
•Cross-sector delivery team to meet Feb/March, announcement of ambition April to
piggyback spotlight of Olympics

13. Digital Champion ITQ – Sustainable solutions
from Digital Unite
• New IT qualification
• Formal Level 2 accreditation
• Supports professional and personal development
• More formal and structured
• Practical issues such as online safety
• Emphasis on empathetic and creative engagement
• One-to-one online support throughout
• Large resource of content to support Digital Champions
Google; Skype; connectivity options; Accessibility; Browser customisation;
Facebook, Twitter and the social internet; Upgrades and players; Creative
activities online; Podcasting and blogging

14. Thank you for your time
Leigh Smyth, MD, Race Online 2012