Digital poverty affects how people manage money, apply for work, access healthcare, complete schoolwork, use public services and stay connected with family and friends.

For up to 19 million people across the UK, it is felt in ordinary ways, through an unreliable broadband connection at home, a student trying to complete schoolwork without a suitable device, or an older person expected to use an online service without confidence or support.

The 2026 National Delivery and Advocacy Plan (NDAP) reflects how much has changed since the first plan was launched in 2023. Digital inclusion is now more visible in national policy, shaped by the UK Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan, the creation of the Digital Inclusion Action Committee and new delivery work across departments. The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA)’s role in the public-sector device donation pilot shows what this can mean in practice, with unused government laptops being refurbished and redistributed to households across the UK that need them.

A Plan for Sustained Delivery

This year’s NDAP sets out the work underway in Phase 2, which runs from 2025 to 2027, and looks ahead to the work needed through Phases 3 and 4, from 2027 to 2030. That phased approach keeps the plan focused on what is being delivered now, while setting out the longer-term work needed to build lasting change.

The NDAP is structured around six missions:

1. Increase awareness among government, politicians, industry, and the public about the need for strategic and sustainable action to end digital poverty
2. Ensure affordable connectivity and guarantee full digital access for those in need
3. Improve standards of accessibility and inclusiveness across all digital products and services
4. Expand essential digital and critical thinking skills across society to meet changing needs
5. Build the evidence base to deepen understanding of digital poverty
6. Strengthen local capacity to deliver joined-up digital inclusion support