London boroughs have made significant improvements when it comes to ensuring residents can offer essential services offline but more needs to be done, a charity has said.
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests sent to all 33 local authorities by Age UK found only three (10%) of the 31 that responded reported offering no offline access to any of the services surveyed — a significant improvement from 17% in 2023.
The FOI responses also revealed that five councils (16%) do not provide offline access to council tax reductions and housing benefit, down from 31% in 2023, and six (20%) do not offer offline access to Blue Badge applications, a modest improvement from 25% in 2023.
Abi Wood, CEO of Age UK London, said: ‘We welcome the progress made by many London councils in improving offline access to vital services — but it’s clear that too many older people are still being left behind.
‘Digital exclusion is not a lifestyle choice; it’s a reality for thousands of older Londoners who cannot get online due to cost, confidence, or capability. Councils must ensure that their services are accessible to everyone, not just those who are digitally connected.’
