Manchester tech business Autotrader has joined forces with a leading digital inclusion charity and regional government to produce the first five-year plan to improve digital access across the Greater Manchester region – where one in eight residents are still completely offline.
The company has struck a partnership with the Good Things Foundation charity and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to bring together regional leadership, national expertise and private sector insight to develop an action plan to tackle the issue.
The partnership builds on a commitment made by Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, in October last year to address digital exclusion across the region, with affordability a major factor. Just over one in four Greater Manchester residents (25%) live within the 10% most deprived areas nationally, with Manchester ranked as the fourth most deprived local authority in England.
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The initiative will be backed by academic research from Professor Simeon Yates at the University of Liverpool, bringing together local organisations to study the most persistent barriers to digital inclusion and identify practical solutions, benefiting other parts of the UK.
Autotrader has previously supported digital inclusion through contributions to the Greater Manchester Tech Fund, and will now contribute commercial insight and help the partnership produce long-term approaches to improving affordable digital access.
The research will build a robust evidence base on digital affordability and skills needs, building on a partnership which has already distributed over free 1,500 devices and 56,000 free SIM cards distributed between April 2022 and January 2026, as well as supporting more than 7,500 people through a free digital skills platform.
Councillor Nick Peel, Leader of Bolton Council and GMCA lead for digital, said: “Digital technology and skills underpin access to jobs, education, healthcare and essential public services, yet too many people across Greater Manchester are still excluded because digital access remains unaffordable or out of reach.
“Digital inclusion is fundamental to our ambition to create a thriving city region where everyone can live a good life. By working together through this programme, we can remove barriers to access and develop a more long term, evidence-led approach that helps communities across Greater Manchester benefit from a digitally enabled region.”
Christos Tsaprounis, people & culture Director at Autotrader, added: “Through our partnership with Good Things Foundation and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, we are excited to unite expertise, insight and local leadership to better understand the barriers to digital inclusion across our communities.
James Muscat-Sharp, director of partnerships at Good Things Foundation, said: “Digital exclusion – lacking affordable connectivity, devices, skills, or support – is a significant challenge in the UK, particularly in Greater Manchester. As services move online, this exclusion makes everyday life harder and deepens the disadvantage for those offline. Greater Manchester has set a bold ambition – and rightly so. To achieve it, we need a clear understanding of where the barriers sit and how they can be addressed sustainably. This programme brings together partners across sectors to build a shared evidence base and develop practical approaches capable of delivering permanent change.”
