Manchester City Council outlines new digital strategy

A new strategy setting out how Manchester can grow its thriving digital sector while ensuring residents are equipped with the skills and infrastructure to benefit has been revealed.

Manchester Digital Strategy is a vision for the whole city covering the period up to 2026. Manchester City Council has led on its development with the input of 63 partners and networks. It aims to help Manchester become a world-leading digital city.

Manchester is Europe’s fastest-growing ‘tech city’ with an economy worth an estimated £5 billion, employing 58,000 people in more than 10,000 businesses.

The strategy has four key themes: Smart People; Digital Places; Future Prosperity; and Sustainable Resilience. This will see the authority ensure that Manchester people have the skills and opportunities to access jobs in the growing digital sector, creating the right network access and digital infrastructure to support growth and innovation in connected ‘digital neighbourhoods’ and using digital innovations to help meet zero carbon and climate resilience goals.

Bev Craig, leader of the council, said: “Manchester is the UK’s leading digital city outside London with a fast-growing concentration of innovation, expertise and talent. But we can’t and won’t settle for that. We must build on these strengths to create a digitally inclusive economy where everyone is equipped with the skills and infrastructure needed to share in – and contribute to – success. We must also seize on the potential of technology to help us meet the collective target of Manchester becoming zero carbon by 2038 and to manage the impacts of climate change.

“Our digital aspirations aren’t separate to the wider strategy for a thriving and sustainable city – they are fundamental to it. This new strategy will help power us along that path.”