DIGITAL HALF-MILLION TO FIGHT EXCLUSION AND REVIVE ECONOMY

AN extra half-a-million pounds is being invested by Bristol City Council’s ruling Lib Dems to fight digital exclusion and boost connectivity.
Council leader Barbara Janke says the new spending is vital for social cohesion and to help drive Bristol’s fightback from recession.
The money is part of an extra £1 million drive for green and digital initiatives (around £500,000 for each) in the council’s budget for the coming year.
Councillor Janke has secured a further £350,000 to add to the £650,000 of new funding already earmarked in the 2010-11 budget for projects to cut carbon emissions, fight digital exclusion and boost connectivity.
People who are not online lose out on access to deals and information and are believed to be £300 a year worse off as a result.
Being connected to broadband changes the way people live and work, allowing them, for instance, to work from home and to control the amount of energy they use. As TV goes digital this year, further opportunities will open up for people with access.
The budget package includes £150,000 to build on the digital inclusion programme, already under way in Knowle West, to increase participation.
A total of £130,000 is included for Wi-Fi developments in homes, public spaces and council and community buildings.
Another £30,000 will focus on high-speed - Next Generation - broadband to drive Bristol’s economic revival.
Councillor Janke said: “Bristol is developing as a major hub for creative and digital industries and we believe this sector will help drive recovery from recession and enhance the city’s profile internationally.
“But digital exclusion - where some people, including some of the most vulnerable, don’t have access to broadband - acts as a brake on our twin goals of economic success and social cohesion.
“This puts our inclusion programme at the heart of our efforts to make Bristol a front-runner on the world stage.”