The priority of accessibility and connectivity underpins the other two priorities in terms of delivering activity around Angus.
|
Indicator |
Baseline |
2019/20 |
2020/21 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Take up of Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) funding for improved connectivity |
30% |
58% |
N/A |
|
% of premises able to access broadband speeds of at least 24 megabits per second |
100% |
89% |
92% |
|
Number of electric charging points available |
20 |
37 |
51 |
|
Number of changing places facilities & use |
4 |
8 |
10 |
N/A – the DSSB programme is now finished, data no longer recorded.
The rural nature of Angus presents challenges both in terms of digital and physical access which if improved will help to reduce inequalities across the whole area.
This work is led by the Accessible, Inclusive Travel and Transportation Working Group and informed by the Angus Transport Network.
A significant amount of work is underway to shape the new Regional Transport Strategy. To date the Angus Transport Network has met 6 times and are highlighting new demands for transport in the area and how it links with housing, Tay Cities Deal, Poverty, education and growth in key sectors.
Digital broadband has seen increased developments over the reporting period with the following projects underway:
- Virgin Media are installing their fibre build within Arbroath, connecting 6000+ premises in the initial phase.
- all towns have been connected with two 1Gb paths using Multi-protocol label switching Network technology which ensures a resilient, reliable and quick connection with Instant town failover in event of loss of a link.
- BT announced as the supplier for fibre being installed throughout Angus - Funded from Tay Cities Deal & UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
- all Rural Schools have now been brought fully into the council full fibre network with comparable speeds to central town schools.
As part of the Tay Cities Deal funding, in the Arbroath / Brechin / Montrose area, Angus Council are progressing with the build of an Open access core wireless infrastructure, using 20 farms as a host site. This infrastructure can be used by any Wireless Internet Service Provider to provide connectivity back to the own network to provide Internet connectivity.
Active and sustainable travel has continued to be a priority especially with more people using cycle paths and country parks for leisure and exercise purposes which will be explored further in the new strategies.
Case Study - Improving Accessibility and Connectivity: Dundee and Angus College
A key part of Dundee and Angus College’s Digital and Future Talent Strategies has been to improve digital accessibility and connectivity of the students and the wider region.
This has been achieved through several different projects, including the highly successful ‘Discover Digital’ range of free online digital skills courses.
Launched in 2018, these courses developed around the UK Government’s Essential Digital Skills Framework, providing learners with the opportunity to develop the essential digital skills needed to safely benefit from, participate in and contribute to the digital world.
In response to the pandemic in March 2020, and the new demands enforced on both learners and the wider business community, we launched Discover Digital for Business and Getting Ready for College Digital Skills.
These courses based on the original framework were revised and enhanced to ensure that the participants could develop the ‘remote’ digital skills required to participate in the new online world. Since starting in January over 400 students have successfully completed these courses.
The Getting Ready for College Digital Skills course was successfully piloted with our January starts, with feedback from both staff and students highlighting how this course enhanced the students experience and resulted in higher levels of engagement.
Since the start of the pandemic the College has also invested heavily (College money, Scottish Funding Council additional funding and Connecting Scotland) in ensuring that all our students in ‘digital poverty’ have access to devices, Wi-Fi connectivity and the training and support required to enable them to engage effectively in remote delivery.
195 students in the Angus region have benefited from this service, allowing them to successfully complete their studies in academic year 2020/2021.
Throughout this period, we have also opened Study Zones at all our main campuses, providing students who don’t have access to a device or suitable study space a safe place to learn. In addition to this the Learning and Digital Resources team offer all new starts the opportunity to participate in our Learn@D&A induction, providing them with the digital skills to access and engage with their studies from the start of their course.
Widening our online support services has also helped students, with a new range of free online ‘digital skills’ short courses, ‘how to’ videos and a shift to online resource provision made accessible to all via our Future Talent website.
Case Study – Improving Accessibility and Connectivity: Managing a European Network from Tannadice
As with many other organisations, the European Network for Rural Development Contact Point (ENRD CP) has been operating from the homes of its staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tannadice based Rural Development Company is one of the companies that delivers the ENRD CP contract on behalf of the European Commission.
The Rural Development Company is located in Angus and the director is the European Network for Rural Development Contact Point Team Leader.
Thanks to the high-speed broad band connection put into the village to support Tannadice Primary School in 2020 they have been able to run the project and the 20 strong team from their small office. The ENRD CP is normally Brussels based but is now scattered across Belgium, Luxemburg, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Italy and Slovakia, and like many others is using a variety of virtual tools continue to work.
This culminated in coordinating a highly technical and high profile Rural Vision Week which took place between 22-26 March. The event will contribute to the preparation of a long-term Vision for the future of EU rural areas to 2040. It brought together over 650 delegates from 35 countries included high level presentations from European Commission Vice President Šuica and 3 European Commissioners as well as 8 workshops, 11 fringe events, a virtual marketplace and the Rural Inspiration Award ceremony.
Outcomes
ENRD CP have delivered over 35 virtual events online over the last 13 months allowing the networking and sharing of best practice to continue uninterrupted despite the inability of people to travel or gather together in person to attend events. RDC has managed the team and delivered the contract remotely since March 2020 and will continue to do so until the end of the ENRD CP contract in July 2021.
Learning
Rural Development Company has operated out of the small office in Tannadice since its creation in 2002. Both founders of the company have always believed that it is vitally important to keep the connection between living in a rural area and working on rural development policy to keep it real and have proven that this is possible.