The government has announced £9.5 million of funding for local charities and councils to help get people online.

The Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund is designed to boost grassroots efforts to help the 1.6 million people in the UK who can’t access to online world.

The investment will support ways of tackling digital exclusion, which could include putting on workshops to familiarise people with tech or schemes donating devices like phones and laptops to the digitally excluded.

Research suggests that 7.9 million adults across the UK lack basic digital skills, while 1.6 million people live offline altogether.

Local government, charities and research organisations in England can apply for funding worth £25,000 to £500,000. The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will determine their own arrangements.

UK Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: "It is unacceptable that in 2025, millions of people across the UK simply can’t access the vast opportunities that technology and the online world offers. Digital inclusion is an essential for modern life and work, not just something that’s nice to have, and it forms a critical part of our Plan for Change.

"Making technology widely accessible could be the thing that means a sick patient can speak to a GP remotely, or that helps a young person successfully apply for a job. Through this funding we’re moving further to empower local leaders and groups nationwide, who are already working tirelessly to get their communities connected and change countless lives for the better."

Welsh government cabinet secretary for social justice, Jane Hutt, said: "For over a decade, Wales has led the way in digital inclusion, and our Digital Strategy for Wales makes clear our aim to ensure everyone who chooses to can engage safely and with confidence with digital.

"Being digitally included means having the basic digital skills and tools needed for everyday life – from accessing vital services and applying for jobs to staying connected with friends and family.

"This new funding from the UK government will build on the progress we’ve made, helping to further our lead and support the aim to support people to meet the minimum digital living standard."