Millions of UK households struggle with the cost of getting online as roadmap lanches to tackle digital poverty

New analysis of the ONS Living Costs and Food Survey, conducted by the University of Liverpool, estimates that approximately 5.2 million households spend 3% or more of their income on internet costs alone (and 11 million spend the same proportion on telecommunications costs overall), while 1.1 million UK households living in poverty would be unable to afford even a discounted broadband social tariff. 

For many, the digital shift is creating anxiety. As one resident shared: “There's a big expectation from all these organisations, be it utilities, be it your GP, they want you online. And that can be so stressful for people just to even try to get online." 

Building on Greater Manchester’s strong track record of championing digital inclusion, this roadmap identifies what more can be done to ensure no-one is prevented from being online due to poverty. 

Shaped by stakeholder workshops and people with lived experience, the roadmap sets out a practical, evidence-based agenda for the future, suggesting ‘quick wins’, short-to-medium term, and longer term actions in four focus areas: 

• Social housing: towards ensuring every social housing tenant can access affordable broadband, by tackling infrastructure barriers, strengthening the Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter, and embedding connectivity into new housing developments.
• Cost-of-living support: towards ensuring low-income households can access connectivity that meets their needs, through effective use of discretionary funds (such as the current Crisis & Resilience Fund), and local promotion of national social tariffs.
• Community spaces and local infrastructure: towards ensuring free, secure public Wi-Fi, device access, and digital skills support are embedded in trusted neighbourhood spaces such as libraries, Live Well Centres, and voluntary community organisations.
• Priority groups: towards ensuring internet access, and digital inclusion, are ‘baked in’ to strategic commissioning of statutory provision for priority groups, such as people and families in temporary or unstable housing, and care leavers.

The five-year roadmap is the result of a six-month discovery project funded by Autotrader, a Manchester-based technology company, and delivered in partnership with Good Things Foundation, the GMCA, and the University of Liverpool. It combines regional policy expertise, private sector innovation, academic rigour, and third-sector community expertise to create a flexible framework for action regionally and locally. 

Alongside, the report also calls for national action and UK Government leadership to remove the affordability barriers to everyday internet access. 

Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:

“My commitment as Mayor is to make life easier and more affordable for people across our city region. That must include tackling data poverty and ensuring no one is priced out of the opportunities and support that many of us access online every day.

"As Mayor, I am expanding the Greater Manchester data bank which will support tens of thousands of residents, so that they can do things like access healthcare, manage their finances and stay connected.”

“By working in partnership on digital inclusion, we are creating the foundation to end data poverty and build a thriving city region where everyone can live a good life.”

Christos Tsaprounis, People & Culture Director at Autotrader, said: 

"Digital inclusion is no longer a nice-to-have; it's a prerequisite for participation in modern society. Yet people across Greater Manchester still face barriers to getting online or realising the full benefits of the digital world. This roadmap shows that real change takes collaboration across sectors - charities, the business community and the public sector - to ensure no one is excluded from opportunities simply because they lack digital access.”  

Vicki Sellick MBE, Chief Executive, Good Things Foundation, said:

“Internet access is essential. We rely on it to find work, use public transport, manage our money, support kids with school work, and so much more.  That’s why we continue to call for UK government leadership and national action to make access affordable for all. What this 5 year roadmap brings to life is the vital role of regional and local cross-sector partnership. Greater Manchester is already on this journey. It’s time to get digital inclusion ‘baked in’ to business as usual - reducing living costs, and improving lives.”  

Prof. Simeon Yates MBE, University of Liverpool, said:

“Digital costs are a significant material barrier for many households, preventing full access to the digital world. However, digital exclusion is too often seen as everyone’s problem, but no-one’s responsibility. Greater Manchester has helped to change that. This roadmap builds on that record. It is vital that the household costs of internet access are built into wider policy and action to reduce a key barrier to digital inclusion.”