Oldham Liberal Democrats back Age UK ‘Offline and Overlooked’ campaign

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has backed a petition from the charity Age UK calling on the government to protect offline access to services.

Councillor Sykes said, “Nowadays more or less everything is done online.  But there are lots of people in our communities who can’t use the internet, and it is not always the elderly.  With the cost of living so high, many people simply can’t afford to stay connected all the time.

“People who are not online can find it almost impossible to do simple things like book a medical appointment, pay for parking or use banking services.  We cannot allow people to be left behind, so I think the government has to do more to ensure that vital services remain accessible offline.”

Councillor Sykes has signed an Age UK petition which has attracted more than 96,000 signatures as part of the charity’s ‘Offline and Overlooked’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the harms of digital exclusion.

The petition can be found here.