Local Digital Capital Index 2022

Recommendations

techUK’s Local Digital Capital Index helps us see the reality and challenge facing the UK. These are steps that should be taken by the Government to seek to empower local leaders, work with business and encourage more data to be shared and available to inform decision making (and track progress). 

• Ensure that Project Gigabit reaches all areas of the UK, particularly rural communities and more national comparable data on 5G coverage. Digital infrastructure underpins much of the scoring – it’s hard to feature higher up the Index without it. Better data, an increased focus on rural reach and pursue 5G where innovation can be bolstered and furthered using this technology. 

• Investment Zones have been announced by the Government and are seeking expressions of interest. This provides an opportunity for clearly defined areas to be used to roll out and prepare for the further role of new technologies such as autonomous vehicles (AV). These new investment zones allow digital infrastructure to be in place immediately with built in capacity for the future, to provide capacity for dedicated AV lanes encourage the adoption of new technologies and help speed up readiness for AV regulations in 2025. Investment zones must also be ‘tech zones’ to attract people to work in them, base their business in them and secure new future investment.  

• Improved skills data is essential to ensure that activity and comparisons are consistent across the UK. techUK would want to go further looking at education data, subject choices, progress, demographic data, job seeker training, and skills/training for those in work. Further analysis on the most tech skilled would also be useful in looking at the ‘most talented’ but also improving the wider populations confidence in their own digital skills. 

• Digital action and activity to be identified in future Levelling Up bids and projects to help address regional divides and exclusion. This doesn’t need to necessarily be funding toward digital projects directly but actually how improving a town centre can improve digital skills or what else could be done to improve digital infrastructure on the back of this e.g. free Wi-Fi in town centres. 

• More data shared more regularly on initiatives such as Help to Grow Digital, to allow local activity to support national schemes. Central Government schemes are great but they need local activity to sustain and complement them. LEPs, Chamber of Commerce, CBI, techUK etc., can all look to signpost to further support or encourage uptake in regions where it is low. 

• The data needed to measure data ecosystems across the UK still isn’t conclusive or consistent and needs to be addressed. Government should look to running a testbed with a Combined Authority to build a working model that can be adopted elsewhere. 

• Devolved Government and elected Mayors need to publish and regularly update their digital strategies. Central Government can’t do this alone,  and needs to empower more local activity and accountability.  At the moment digital strategies are written but the activity to support them, or where tech partners could get involved isn’t clear. Further collaboration is needed, regular updates/progress points and the input from the sector more regularly. 

• Finance and investment regionally lags behind London. There must be improved access to VC and angel investment, better signposting to support and test new proposals such as creating new ringfenced regional funding in partnership with elected Mayors focused on outcomes and supporting vital national infrastructure. Using the discussions around the new ‘trailblazer’ devolution deals to consider devolving a further role on trade and investment powers to elected Mayors to help attract investment outside London and the South East. Most of, if not all, the UK has strengths it can sell and market. More local input on trade can help to shift the numbers so the UK is less reliant on some regions. 

• Changes to standard industrial classification (SIC) and standard occupation classification (SOC) codes to better mirror the tech sector and changing occupation, to allow better tracking and better data capture. At the moment the figures are outdated. They may suit the butcher, the baker and the candle stick maker but they don’t suit a 21st Century economy where jobs are changing, sectors are increasingly using tech and new roles are developing quickly. While this may seem a dull administrative change, it’s needed to improve data, analysis and planning.  

• If we are to ensure digital connectivity reaches all areas of the UK, then Mayors and Combined Authorities have an important role to play. At the moment a relationship run from the centre will have its limitations, when local leaders know their area best, where potential development will be coming, how this links with the wider plan and who’ll benefit. Better collaboration locally, digital champions and broadening engagement is needed to help champion and secure improved digital connectivity.