More Than Books: The Digital Inclusion Guarantee Our Towns Need

Walk into any busy library in our towns and you will see a side of modern Britain that rarely makes the headlines. A man in his fifties is trying to upload documents for a job application. A mother is checking an online banking account because her phone data has run out. An older woman is waiting to use a computer to book a hospital appointment. A young person is printing a CV because there is no printer at home.

The library has become the unofficial front door to Universal Credit, job applications, online banking and NHS services. That is not a temporary glitch. It is the result of a decade of digital-first public service design, combined with uneven broadband, expensive devices and a cost-of-living crisis that has pushed basic technology out of reach for many households.

The divide is not just about broadband

We often talk about the digital divide as a problem of rural connectivity. That matters. But in our towns, the divide is also about devices, data, confidence and space. A family may have a phone but no laptop. A pensioner may have a tablet but no secure way to scan documents. A jobseeker may have a smartphone but not enough data to complete an online form. A student may have a college Chromebook but no quiet place to study.

When public services move online, the people least able to navigate them are asked to do more. The library absorbs that pressure, often without the resources to match. Staff become informal digital coaches, benefit advisers and crisis navigators. They do it with professionalism and care, but goodwill is not a substitute for a plan.

A digital-inclusion guarantee

Labour in our towns should propose a practical digital-inclusion guarantee for 2026, built around three commitments.

1. Device lending that works

Libraries should be able to lend laptops, tablets and mobile hotspots in the same way they lend books. That means a properly funded scheme, not a pilot that ends after a year. Devices should be simple, secure and supported. Borrowing should be available to people who cannot afford a device, with clear rules and practical help. A resident should not have to choose between a bus fare and a data top-up to complete a benefit claim.

2. Drop-in digital skills sessions

Formal courses are valuable, but many people need something less intimidating: a weekly drop-in where they can ask a question without feeling foolish. How do I upload a document? How do I prove my identity online? How do I avoid a scam? How do I use the NHS app? These sessions should be run in libraries, community centres and housing associations, with paid staff and trained volunteers. They should be advertised in doctors' surgeries, schools and food banks, not just on the council website.

3. Guaranteed desk capacity

Every town should have a guaranteed minimum number of public computers and desks available during library hours. That means replacing ageing equipment, maintaining printers and scanners, and protecting space from being quietly sold off. It also means recognising that a library desk is not a luxury. It is where someone claims the support they are entitled to, applies for a job or manages their health.

The local case

In our constituency, as across the country, libraries are trusted institutions. They are warm, accessible and free at the point of use. They do not stigmatise. That trust is an asset. But it is also fragile. If libraries are forced to cut opening hours, reduce staff or close branches, the people who rely on them most are hit first.

A digital-inclusion guarantee is not about turning libraries into call centres. It is about recognising what they already do and giving them the tools to do it well. It is about joining up local government, the NHS, Jobcentre Plus and voluntary organisations. It is about treating digital access as a public service, not a private burden.

What national government should do

National government should fund a multi-year digital-inclusion programme, with ring-fenced money for device lending, staff training and public computer capacity. It should also require public services to offer a non-digital route for people who need it, and to design online forms that work on a phone as well as a laptop. Digital by default should never mean digital only.

In 2026, we should be honest about the scale of the task. The cost of doing nothing is higher than the cost of acting. When people cannot complete a benefit claim, they lose money. When they cannot apply for a job, they lose opportunity. When they cannot manage their health online, they end up in the wrong part of the system.

The desk that changes lives

A library card is often described as a passport to learning. In 2026, it is also a passport to participation. The desk by the window, the printer that works, the member of staff who says 'let me show you' — these are the quiet engines of social justice.

Let us make a promise for our towns: every resident should have somewhere to go, someone to ask and a device to use. That is not a small ambition. It is the practical meaning of a fair society. And it starts with a desk.