Digital levelling-up in Sussex

What’s on offer?

Panel event with opportunities for Q&A.

This is about digital inclusion in the UK and particularly Brighton and Hove, informing participants about the problem and providing insight into the kinds of measures taken at local level that can help to make an impact.

What’s it about?

Brighton and Hove, and the surrounding area Sussex, has a thriving digital economy with a tech sector worth more than £1billion annually.  But not everyone is a part of this digital transformation. University of Sussex research shows that among people living on an annual household income of £25,000 or less, one in five never use the internet.  

So who is being left behind by this digital transformation of everyday life?  And with jobs and services increasingly moving online, how can we imagine a more inclusive digital future for Sussex? Dr Becky Faith is Co-Lead of Digit Research Theme 4: Reconnecting the Disconnected and a Research Fellow and Co-Leader of the Digital and Technology cluster at the Institute of Development Studies.

This event, part of the Digit Debates series from the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre, in conjunction with the Institute of Development Studies, will explore the impact of digital exclusion and how local initiatives can help deliver a more inclusive digital future.  It draws on research carried out in conjunction with Digital Brighton & Hove / Citizens Online by Dr Becky Faith and Kevin Hernandez into the effects of digital exclusion in Brighton and Hove during the Covid-19 pandemic, and on the extent of digital poverty in low-income households in the UK.  

What could a place-based digital inclusion strategy that meets the needs of all its citizens look like in Sussex?  Dr Faith will set out what the research tells us about nature and extent of digital exclusion and bring together a panel of local experts to ask how we can create a more inclusive digital transformation in Sussex. Speakers include:

Simon Hughes, Head of Digital and Customer Service, Mid Sussex County Council

Emma Daniel, Partnerships Manager, Citizens Advice Brighton & Hove

Who’s leading the event?

Dr Becky Faith is Co-Lead of Digit Research Theme 4: Reconnecting the Disconnected and a Research Fellow and Co-Leader of the Digital and Technology cluster at the Institute of Development Studies.

Open to

Everyone is welcome

Of particular interest to

This event will be relevant and accessible both to people working on digital inclusion policies and strategies in Brighton & Hove (and in local government / the third sector in other areas) and those affected by some of the issues that contribute to digital exclusion such as data poverty.