24 Sep 2025

Event round-up: techUK Roundtable with Baroness Armstrong


On 17 September, techUK hosted a member roundtable with Baroness Armstrong, Chair of the Digital Inclusion Action Committee, to discuss the role of the Committee, as well as techUK and member efforts to address digital inclusion and opportunities for wider collaboration within the  tech sector.

The Digital Inclusion Action Committee was established in the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, published by the government in February, as an external advisory body. The Committee is comprised of national and local experts working to scrutinise, steer and aid how government can help reduce digital exclusion across all regions in the UK. 

techUK’s Deputy CEO, Antony Walker, is a part of the Committee as Co-Chair of the Industry Leadership and Partnership sub-committee, alongside techUK members, BT and Vodafone Three, who are also fellow members of the Committee.

Earlier this year, techUK and our members welcomed the announcement of the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, as an opportunity for deeper sector-wide engagement to address challenges around device availability, connectivity, and skills development. techUK’s Digital Inclusion Working Group, was established to guide techUK's ongoing digital inclusion efforts, including our engagement with the Government.


Event summary:

Baroness Armstong began the Roundtable highlighting the role of the Digital Inclusion Action Committee in helping to guide and scrutinise the governments work on tackling digital exclusion across the UK; emphasising the potential to accelerate this work through collaboration with techUK members.

The Baroness highlighted how digital inclusion can be advanced across public services and wider society. With technology developing at speed, the public sector faces the challenge of not just keeping up but staying ahead to ensure no one is excluded. Achieving this requires equipping the UK population with not only access to digital devices but also the skills, confidence, and affordable connectivity necessary to achieve digital inclusivity.

It was noted that the Committee is working closely with charities, including Age UK & the Good Things Foundation, both of which are members, to ensure vulnerable groups are represented in discussions of digital inclusion. Several initiatives included in the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, outlined in the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, include the governments partnership with the Digital Poverty Alliance to create a digital donation pilot aimed at allocating repurposed government devices to digitally excluded populations. This compliments ongoing government work with industry to expand affordable Wi-Fi and connectivity through Project Gigabit.

A prominent area of priority outlined is developing a scalable and secure model for device reuse through the IT Reuse for Good Charter. This charter aims to increase the number of quality devices given to people who need them with active industry backing from the Good Things Foundation, VodafoneThree and Deloitte LLP.

Members discussed how the Committee can convene stakeholders, influence skills frameworks, and ensure digital inclusion is embedded in wider policy areas such as the Social Value Act, alongside highlighting the importance of putting digital issues at the centre of renewal programmes.

Members shared experiences showcasing that access to devices is not enough without motivation, training, and affordability. Many local charities and organisations are leading strong initiatives that could aim to scale nationally through government support.

Concerns were raised about limited collaboration across government and stressed the importance of joined-up hubs and community access points. Key risks of exclusion were noted as services become more digitally advanced, including AI uptake, chatbots, and the transition to IP-based television. Preparing people, particularly the most vulnerable demographics, for these changes will require joint efforts between government, industry, and community organisations.

The roundtable concluded that while digital tools are enablers - skills, motivation, and confidence remain essential. The Committee has a role in convening government, industry, and community actors, supported by techUK, to align efforts and scale successful approaches. While there is a clear appetite across the sector to collaborate, achieving impact will require coordinated, inclusive solutions that address both today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

Get involved in techUK’s digital inclusion work

Members can get involved in techUK’s ongoing digital inclusion work through our Digital Inclusion Working Group. The group will receive all updates on digital inclusion, including drafts of techUK policy documents, and will meet on an ad-hoc basis to assess major developments in the digital inclusion landscape. 

Any techUK members that work in the digital inclusion space, or who wish to work in this space, are welcome to join here.


Antony Walker

Antony Walker

Deputy CEO, techUK

Archie Breare

Archie Breare

Policy Manager - Skills & Digital Economy, techUK

Tess Newton

Team Assistant, Policy and Public Affairs, techUK

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