Digital Strategy and projects

Our digital strategy

Our digital strategy gives clear direction as to how North Yorkshire will become a smart county. It is a response to the massive changes as the ‘Digital Revolution’ accelerates and impacts on the county, our citizens and businesses in fundamental ways.

This strategy will focus on five core objectives:

  • Thinking and Working Smarter: Accelerating digital transformation in the public sector
  • Digital and Smart Communities: Invest in our communities to develop sustainable neighbourhoods
  • Skills for a Digital Age: Collaborate with partners to  grow digital skills and talent to harness the opportunities offered by the digital world
  • Connected North Yorkshire: Enabling the county to be better connected
  • Smart Businesses and Growth: North Yorkshire is digitally enabled to be the catalyst for economic growth

What will success look like?

The citizens of the future will be able to access the services they need through the most appropriate channel. Routine transactions will be conducted via self-service and customers will have the choice of having their own public service account. They will be supported by public sector staff who have access to and are able to use technology to find the information they need, supported by streamlined processes and new ways of working. Technology will be harnessed to automate as much routine and transactional activity as possible, allowing staff to focus on actions that add value to North Yorkshire and its residents. Working and living in a smart county where connectivity is the norm through a combination of public sector points of access and public services Wi-Fi. Citizens and businesses will have access to high-speed, broadband across the county, supported by a strong culture of digital skills.

Read our digital strategy

Digital strategy dashboard

Our digital infrastructure projects

£3m York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership Funding

A £3m investment has been approved by York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership Funding to provide digital technology to support recovery and growth for communities and businesses across North Yorkshire.

Public wi-fi in up to 16 market towns

Town centre public wi-fi is an opportunity to draw people back to local town centres as a destination as more people work from home. While the pandemic and internet shopping have had a dramatic effect on high street, installing public wi-fi is an opportunity to investigate how this technology could be used to promote local shops and services and create a different town centre experience.

Public access wi-fi will offer opportunities for people with limited or no broadband to access vital local council, government and health services and take part in the digital economy. These benefits will be seen in towns across the county, from Scarborough to Skipton.

“Smart places” technology into rural areas

The creation of rural “smart places” – also known as the internet of things – will start to bring digital benefits more usually seen in cities into rural areas, enabling businesses to make use of sensors and data to create new markets and products. A digital network will also provide a range of opportunities to make services more efficient and effective. This could include applications to support health care, such as preventing people from falling, and monitoring water levels to anticipate and respond to flooding and managing traffic flow.

Ultrafast fibre broadband to six business parks

The extension of North Yorkshire’s local full fibre network programme, delivered by NYnet Ltd, will see the technology deployed to six business parks across the county, benefiting up to 500 businesses. It will enable them to stay competitive and enhance the economy and attractiveness of North Yorkshire as a place to invest. The parks earmarked to receive the technology are likely to be in the districts of Ryedale, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Scarborough. We would welcome an approach from any business park manager or owner interested in this opportunity.

Other digital infrastructure projects

NYnet Limited

 We established  NYnet Limited in 2007, with the aim to improve connectivity and broadband services across the North of England for both the Public and Private Sectors. In order to achieve this NYnet built and now operates a high capacity fibre network across the region, to provide Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Managed Internet Access.

Find out more about NYNet

Mobile Access North Yorkshire

 Mobile Access North Yorkshire (MANY) is a two year project which aims to help areas with little or no mobile phone connectivity.

By improving the network, the project aims to:

  • improve health and wellbeing, specifically around isolation and loneliness
  • increase tourism opportunities
  • provide vital support for emergency service networks
  • make areas safer through monitoring the environment

Our digital community and skills projects

Reboot North Yorkshire

 Reboot North Yorkshire is a collaborative project led and coordinated by ourselves. The aim of Reboot North Yorkshire is to get as many digitally disadvantaged people online as possible.

The Reboot scheme will aid children who do not have access to digital devices to be able to continue their education from home using remote learning during lockdown and isolation periods.

It will also help adults who are socially isolated and who would benefit from connecting to family members and friends, particularly those who have been unable to see loved ones during the pandemic.

People and organisations can donate any unwanted devices you no longer use and we’ll fix them and give them a good home. Devices can be taken to your nearest participating local library where an appropriate drop-off point will be clearly marked.

Find out more about Reboot North Yorkshire