UK politicians across parties working together to fight social exclusion with reused tech
London-based community interest company SocialBox.Biz and UK politicians revealed a joint collaboration to address the digital divide during the COVID-19 crisis. To support SocialBox.Biz’s ‘laptops for the homeless and elderly initiative’, the House of Lords and local elected members across political parties signed a letter to promote the initiative that places working reused laptops with open source software into the hands of those in need of housing and accommodation. ‘[The] lockdown has only emphasised the importance of technology and demonstrated how it can truly offer a lifeline for the most vulnerable people in our society. This initiative from SocialBox.Biz will provide more people with digital access than ever before – all in an environmentally friendly way, by reusing old equipment. The scheme will also allow many unemployed people to re-train and learn new skills – helping people to apply for and secure new jobs’, noted Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Community Services and Digital Councillor Paul Swaddle.