Through our attempts in districts to be more efficient we have grasped the ‘digital by default' agenda with both hands as a government directive to help us save money. However, I sometimes wonder about our approach to digital by default and the effect it inevitably has on older people.

Research shows that many older people are struggling to access vital support as a result of our national shift to digital. Charities have found that only three-quarters of people aged 65 to 74 have recently used the internet, compared with nearly all young adults. For those aged over 75, this drops sharply to just one third.