Digital Inclusion in the East Riding: What Are Communities Telling Us?

"Digital exclusion is about much more than whether somebody has access to the internet"

That is one of the messages coming through strongly from the East Riding Digital Inclusion Conference 2026 Evaluation Report, produced by Community VISION CIO following its Digital Inclusion Conference held in June.

The conference brought together 63 delegates from more than 40 organisations, spanning the VCSE sector, local government, health, policing, libraries, digital providers and community organisations.

What are the barriers to digital inclusion?

Consultation undertaken through the conference highlighted a number of challenges still affecting people across the East Riding:

• Confidence and motivation – including fear of making mistakes, concerns about fraud and cybercrime, and not knowing where to find support.
  
  
• Skills and knowledge – some people lack basic digital skills or simply don't know how to get started.
  
  
• Cost – devices, broadband and mobile connectivity can all be significant barriers.
  
  
• Accessibility – websites, apps and online forms can be difficult to navigate and aren't always accessible.
  
  
• Rural isolation – poor connectivity, transport difficulties and limited access to local support can compound digital exclusion.
  
  
• Social isolation – people without family or other support around them can have fewer opportunities to learn and practise digital skills.
  
  

The findings are a useful reminder that getting someone online isn't necessarily the same as achieving digital inclusion. People may need trusted, accessible and ongoing support to build their skills and confidence.

The importance of community-based support

The report particularly highlights the role that trusted community settings can play.

Community VISION currently supports nine village halls to operate as Digital Hubs, alongside digital pop-up activity in libraries, community centres, leisure centres, NHS services and DWP settings.

The conference itself also demonstrated a strong appetite for greater collaboration. Almost three quarters (74.4%) of survey respondents made useful new contacts, while 65.1% expressed an interest in becoming involved in future digital inclusion partnership work or networks.

For VCSE organisations, the findings are worth considering alongside our own work with communities. Digital exclusion can affect people's ability to access services, manage their finances, find employment, engage with health services and stay socially connected.

Read the full report

This is only a snapshot of the findings.

We would encourage organisations interested in digital inclusion to read the East Riding Digital Inclusion Conference 2026 Evaluation Report in full.

The report and conference were produced and delivered by Community VISION CIO, and full credit for the research, consultation findings and evaluation sits with Community VISION and the partners and participants who contributed.

Read the full East Riding Digital Inclusion Conference 2026 Evaluation Report below