Digital Inclusion Multiplier effect research for local government

The LGA is commissioning this work to build a robust evidence base demonstrating the impact of the multiplier effect of dedicated digital inclusion capacity within a council.

Against this backdrop, the LGA is commissioning this work to understand and robustly evidence the impact of dedicated digital inclusion roles within councils, and to demonstrate the wider multiplier effect this work enables.

This commission will produce a clear explanation and economic assessment of the impact of having dedicated, funded and sustained digital inclusion capacity within a council.

The research should define and evidence the digital inclusion multiplier effect: how a fixed officer, team or provision generates wider system benefits that extend beyond the digital inclusion function itself. This includes improvements across wider service areas, stronger partnerships, avoided or reduced costs, and better resident outcomes.

The primary output will be an economic model, supported by qualitative evidence, that councils can use directly in business cases, investment proposals, governance discussions and scrutiny. The modelling may:

• Identify the mechanisms through which dedicated digital inclusion capacity influences other services and partners.
• Map system‑level outcomes (e.g., embedded considerations of digital exclusion, avoided service demand, improved access to digital‑first services, enhanced partnership performance).
• Apply appropriate proxy values to estimate the financial and economic benefits generated by these mechanisms with clear methodology.
• Clearly set out all assumptions, data sources and limitations to ensure transparency and reusability.
• Consider scenario‑based examples illustrating how different levels of capacity lead to different scales of system impact.

The final product should offer a practical, defensible way for councils to articulate why sustained digital inclusion capacity is essential local infrastructure, and the system‑wide value it creates.

By evidencing this effect clearly and credibly, the research will support the LGA’s national advocacy for long‑term, sustainable investment in local digital inclusion capacity, ensuring that councils are empowered to deliver the strong foundations needed for inclusive growth, resilient communities and effective public service reform.