DSIT has unveiled a new initiative to offer support intended to ensure ‘communities left behind by the economic changes of the 20th century can seize the benefits of the 21st’

As part of a newly unveiled ‘Tech Towns’ initiative, the government has pledged investment and hands-on help to help Barnsley “unleash opportunities of AI”.

As the South Yorkshire town’s public services and businesses stive to get the most out of artificial intelligence and other new technologies, they will be backed by “the full heft of government”, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Over the coming 18 months, initiatives launched as part of Barnsley’s newly granted status as “the UK’s first Tech Town” will include test of new AI tools that could “offer quicker check-ins, faster triage and smoother outpatient care” at the local NHS hospital. Schools and colleges in the area will also be offered trials of technology focused on improving “pupil outcomes [and] inclusion, and reducing teacher workload”.   

Free AI and digital training for local residents will be provided via Barnsley College and the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology, while the Seam Digital Campus facility – which currently houses 33 tech companies – will be expanded with the aim of helping “to give small and growing businesses hands‑on support to use new technology, scale up and create good local jobs”.

The area’s 250,000 citizens will also be invited to participate Tech Town Hall gatherings hosted over the coming months, in which the public will provided with a forum to have “a real say in how AI is used across the community and an opportunity to feedback their experience of using the technology”.   

The government has further Barnsley upgrades for its tech infrastructure, including WiFi in public buildings and cybersecurity for critical services. The creation of the Tech Town will also be supported by leading tech vendors Microsoft, Cisco, and Adobe, DSIT said.

Related content

• MHLCG brings in £12m partner to provide ‘expert capability’ to AI in Local Government programme
• EXCL: Government picks Public Digital for £5m deal to help deliver Public Sector Reform Scheme
• How Barnsley Council is building its own IT services and sharing them ‘for the greater good’

The ultimate aim is to “make like easier, fairer and more prosperous in Barnsley”, and the government hopes that the town will “forge a path path the rest of the country could follow – one that makes sure communities left behind by the economic changes of the 20th century, can seize the benefits of the 21st”. 

Until the 1980s, the dominant industry in Barnsley was coal mining, which is reported to have employed as many as 30,000 people at the peak of operations, equating to about a quarter of the workforce. The colliery (pictured above) closed down entirely in 1991, following a significant decline in operations over the preceding decade.

DSIT secretary of state Liz Kendall – who visited Barnsley this week to unveil the Tech Towns initiative – said: “If we are going to get AI to work for Britain, we need Britons and British public services that can work with AI. That is why Barnsley’s ambitions are crucial, because if we can show that AI helps young people learn, supports local businesses to be more productive, and improves public services, then we can show what’s possible for the whole country. What we learn here will shape how we roll out AI across the UK – making sure every community sees the benefits.”  

Sir Stephen Houghton, leader of Barnsley Council, added that the government programme would boost the authority’s existing ambition “to become the UK’s leading digital town”.

“This is one of the most important investments in Barnsley in our history and will help secure our long-term economic future,” he said. “The Tech Town programme is where cutting-edge technology meets everyday usefulness. It will complement our existing plans at The Seam Digital Campus, including the National Centre for Digital Technologies, and the Health on the High Street programme, which is revolutionising how residents can access health and wellbeing services in Barnsley.  We’re looking forward to working with colleagues from DSIT, our residents and our partners to shape the programme to create safer, smarter public services and new opportunities for everyone to thrive in the emerging and fast-paced AI landscape, blazing a trail for the rest of the country to follow.”