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By Gemma Simpson, 14 March 2007 12:30

NEWS

A project to help to reduce social exclusion through the use of technology has scooped £3.5m in a local government competition.

Sunderland City Council has won the government's Digital Challenge competition and will use the money to boost its plans for a digitally enabled society.

The competition aimed to encourage UK councils to think about the issues of social and digital exclusion.

Sunderland's initiatives were aimed at engaging groups that might feel excluded or isolated from the local community through IT training and by getting people to try out new gadgets.

Modified mobiles with panic buttons and local tracking to help elderly and disabled people live more independently, were among the technologies tested.

Sunderland will be using its £3.5m prize to continue to expand its digital inclusion proposals – including doubling the number of 'e-Champion' volunteers who work in the local community to help vulnerable people access computer and internet services.

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Sunderland also secured an extra £500,000 worth of funding to further its 'Computers for Schools' initiative - which includes an e-mentoring scheme for children and young people.

Out of 79 entrants, 10 finalists were shortlisted. The runners-up didn't go home empty-handed: a further £2m was awarded to turn some of their proposals into reality.

Angela Smith, minister for local e-government, said once it was realised the councils were working so well together then the extra funding was secured to make sure the collaboration continued.

Smith added the benefits of the £2m will reach other councils because they won't need to go through the expensive development and piloting processes for the schemes the councils have already developed.

Steve Williams, corporate head of ICT at Sunderland City Council, said the councils involved have already had three or four meetings together and regular meetings should be held in the future. "This is not the end of a process, it's the start," he said.