A comprehensive new guide has been created to help people across the Liverpool City Region build digital confidence, develop new skills and explore the internet.  

Featuring a range of themes – from device setup to digital healthcare – the free booklet is the latest initiative from the Liverpool City Region Digital Inclusion Network. It brings together, for the 1st time, all the current guidance and support in an accessible format.  

The 84-page Helping You Online guide is available as a printed booklet in most libraries and community venues and is also free to download.   

It will help new and existing users make the most of their digital devices and explains in simple terms how to get started online. There is also information on how to access healthcare, apply for jobs, manage money, avoid scams and understand misinformation.  

The guide has been published to coincide with End Digital Poverty Day, which highlights the barriers to education, employment and social inclusion for those without digital access. Around 15% of adults and 20% of children across the UK live in digital poverty, with an estimated 127,000 residents offline in the City region.  

Cllr Liam Robinson, Liverpool City Region Portfolio Holder for Innovation, said:- “So much of life is takes place online these days but for all the rich possibilities of the internet, too many remain in digital poverty. Digital inclusion is about giving people the tools to transform their lives – access to jobs, education, healthcare, and the ability to stay connected with their loved ones. This new guide complements the work we have already done to provide free devices, data and training – it provides everything you need to know all in one place and will make a real difference in our communities.”  

The Combined Authority (CA) set up the Digital Inclusion Network to bridge a digital divide which has left 25% of adults in the City region without the essential digital skills needed to navigate modern life.   

It brings together more than 250 partner organisations across local authorities, and the voluntary, community and business sectors. The Network has helped design the step-by-step guide, which collates all the areas of support currently available online into 1 offline, printed booklet.  

This builds on the Combined Authority’s commitment to tackle digital exclusion and support 10,000 residents by 2028.  

Previous programmes have included the industry-led Digital Inclusion Initiative, with Lloyds Bank, Assurant, Vodafone and FRC Group, which supported over 5,400 individuals with a free tablet, connectivity and training between August 2023 and May 2025.   

Over £1.4m in UK Shared Prosperity (UKSPF) Funding has been provided as part of the Digital Connectivity Grants Programme, supporting improvements in over 170 Voluntary Sector Digital Inclusion Hubs.  

Earlier this year the CA became one of the first authorities to sign the Government’s IT Reuse for Good Charter, committing to recycle devices. Since 2024, more than 800 computers, laptops and monitors have been donated through the Good Things Foundation’s National Devicebank.   

More information is available at libraries and community venues. Anyone with an internet connection, can download the booklet here.