Digital exclusion hampers digital transformation in London’s boroughs

A recent poll of 202 councillors of London boroughs carried out by YouGov for the Greater London Authority, revealed that digital exclusion is the biggest barrier to digital transformation (50%) in London’s boroughs. According to the surveyed councilors, alongside digital exclusion, other barriers include cybersecurity (27%), costs of transformation (21%), lack of digital skills (10%), and the poor handling of data and privacy (16%). Many councillors also reckon that the quality of services can be enhanced by data sharing, but they doubt the public sector to securely do that (44%). The poll also shows the importance of smartphone data with 69% saying it’s useful for data sharing and improving public services, against 18% disagreeing. They further noted the significance of sensor technology to gather air pollution and traffic data.