A Coordinated Framework to End Digital Poverty 

Digital exclusion affects up to 19 million people across the UK. 

As core services in education, healthcare, employment, and public life continue to move online, this exclusion is deepening existing inequalities and creating new forms of disadvantage. Digital poverty is no longer a fringe issue – it is a defining challenge for a fair and functional society. 

The National Delivery and Advocacy Plan 2025 sets out a shared framework to drive progress. It provides the structure, focus, and accountability needed to ensure that digital inclusion is no longer optional, charitable, or fragmented – but embedded in how we design systems, allocate resources, and deliver support. 

When we launched the first National Delivery and Advocacy Plan in 2023, we made a clear commitment: to move the national conversation from awareness to action. That commitment shaped Phase One – which concludes in June 2025 – and laid the foundation for Phase Two. Two years on, that promise has delivered: digital inclusion is now firmly embedded in policy discourse, and momentum is building across sectors. 

This is a practical, working document – built to align national ambition with local delivery, clarify where responsibility lies, and ensure that success is measured by lived experience, not just policy intent. 

A Plan for Coordinated Action 

Digital inclusion now features prominently in national policy. With the Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan in place, there is clear momentum. But recognition alone will not deliver change. The National Delivery and Advocacy Plan sets out how we move from intent to impact. It responds directly to today’s realities: rising living costs, unaffordable connectivity, the withdrawal of analogue networks, and the accelerating role of digital technology in everyday life. 

Crucially, it reflects the interdependence of national leadership and local capacity – recognising that enduring solutions must be both systemic and rooted in the places people live and work. 

The Six Missions 

The National Delivery and Advocacy is structured around six missions – each representing a critical area where sustained and coordinated effort is required. 

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. 

Each mission identifies a specific challenge, sets a direction for collaborative delivery, and outlines what success will require across sectors. Together, they form a roadmap for action – one that is ambitious, aligned, and measurable. 

A Living Framework for Shared Responsibility 

The National Delivery and Advocacy makes one thing clear: ending digital poverty cannot be left to goodwill or ad hoc interventions. It requires strategic investment, long-term planning, and coordinated leadership across government departments, industries, public services, and communities. 

It also demands a consistent focus on outcomes – ensuring that those most at risk of exclusion are not only reached, but supported to thrive in an increasingly digital society. 

Get Involved 

• Read the full National Delivery and Advocacy to understand the national missions and the steps each sector must take. 

• Leverage the Communications Toolkit to align your messaging and amplify support. 

• Partner with us to help deliver digital inclusion where it is needed most. 

Digital poverty is not inevitable. It is the result of policy choices – and it can be ended by better ones. 
The National Delivery and Advocacy Plan provides the structure and clarity needed to make that possible. Now is the time to act.