Ministers are complacent about the high price to society of pushing the cost of administering public services on to their users
From GP appointments to railway tickets to cashless parking, key services in the UK are being delivered digitally. For many, the convenience is a tangible benefit. But there are appreciable downsides for the millions of people who find it difficult to carry out basic day-to-day functions in a world that assumes everyone is comfortable online. In the name of progress, the danger is that a wall is erected between wider society and a group that tends to live outside England’s south‑east and be older, poorer and more vulnerable.
The cost of living crisis has only made the matter worse. Citizens Advice said a million people disconnected their broadband in the last year because they couldn’t afford it. This when roughly nine of out 10 of all jobs are advertised only on the internet. Trying to lower household bills these days requires a higher level of technical skills as customer services at banks and energy companies are replaced by chat functions or online contact forms requiring email addresses.
