Council pushed to do more to support residents without internet access

Oldham Council must do more to ensure that residents who don’t use the internet are still able to access services and report issues, says local councillor Alicia Marland. 

Councillor Marland, who runs social tea parties for isolated older residents in her spare time, has written to the Council’s head of digital, and its governance scrutiny chair, to get reports on what the Council is doing to maximise inclusion for offline residents. 

Lib Dem Councillor Marland said: “I’ve lost track of the number of times that I’ve spoken to someone who has tried to phone up to report an issue, and simply been told to go online, even when they say they can’t. 

“That’s not good enough, and it simply shouldn’t happen.”

The Council has just received national funding aimed at getting residents online and with access to technology. However, the borough has long been a hotspot for people with no internet access, and the Councillor wants to complement work to get people online with services for those who are not. 

Councillor Marland said: “Making access digital is cost effective, and for a lot of people it works really well. But often, those who can’t access services that way are already the most vulnerable.

“We cannot be failing them, and I simply want to maximise our efforts to look after everyone – not just those who are comfortable accessing support through a screen.”