Sunderland Wins Prestigious Digital Leaders People’s Choice Award

Sunderland City Council is celebrating a win at last night’s Digital Leaders Impact Awards, scooping the prestigious People’s Choice Award amidst a strong field of 36 leading smart city projects across the UK. 

Sunderland City Council’s Smart City Programme team was honoured to take home the People’s Choice Award at the Digital Leaders Impact Awards 2025, held in London on 13^th March 2025.

The People’s Choice Award is part of the Digital Leaders Impact Awards, which celebrate digital innovations that make a positive impact on people’s lives and the world around us. The public is invited to celebrate digital leaders and their work by voting for their favourite project from a shortlist of nominees, all showcasing pioneering projects that leverage digital technology to support communities and create meaningful change.

This accolade recognises Sunderland’s commitment to leveraging digital technology for social good, enhancing the lives of residents, and setting a benchmark for other cities.

The public recognised the vast array of projects and activities taking place across Sunderland to boost digital access, skills and confidence; solidifying its status as a leading smart city by delivering transformative projects with significant social impact:

• Free public Wi-Fi: Established over 10,000m² of free community Wi-Fi, enabling residents to access online resources and services, averaging over 60,000 connections per month.
• Digital Health Hubs: Launched 23 Digital Health Hubs serving as central locations for digital support, training, and device access, providing crucial community resources.
• ‘Links for Life’ platform: Introduced a digital platform connecting residents and professionals to over 300 local organisations across all sectors, fostering community engagement.
• Empowering council employees: Transitioned 900 offline Sunderland City Council employees into the digital realm by providing tech hubs, digital devices, software licenses and building digital motivation.

Sunderland’s pioneering digital inclusion initiatives have led to measurable social impact including:

• Impressive skills development with over 1,526 individuals upskilled, and over half of them reporting improved digital skills and confidence.
• Widespread device redistribution through the Donate Digital campaign rehomed 1,074 donated devices to those most in need, addressing access issues and reducing e-waste by saving over 58,000 kg of CO₂.
• Community engagement efforts have supported over 11,000 people through the city’s Digital Health Hubs, addressing digital inequalities and boosting both skills and confidence across communities.
• The promotion of low-cost broadband tariffs and availability of free data SIM cards, and free devices, has supported some of the most vulnerable populations across communities.
• The recruitment of 284 volunteers has fostered community participation and created pathways into education and employment for many in receipt of this support.

Patrick Melia, chief executive at Sunderland City Council, said: “We are proud of the positive impact our programmes are having on our communities across Sunderland, and to be recognised for setting a new standard for cities across the UK is humbling.

“We will continue to leverage digital innovation to tackle social challenges head-on in Sunderland, underpinning opportunities for residents, businesses and visitors to our smart city.”

Sunderland’s holistic approach to digital inclusion serves as a model for other cities aiming to bridge the digital divide and foster social inclusion. The city is not only enhancing connectivity but also transforming the social fabric, ensuring no one and nowhere is left behind in an increasingly digital world.

Liz St Louis, director of smart cities and enabling services at Sunderland City Council, added: “This recognition at the Digital Leaders Impact Awards 2025 underlines our commitment to harnessing digital solutions to create meaningful social change.

“We are honoured to be here today at the Impact Summit and Awards to help inspire others who are equally dedicated to inclusivity, sustainability and innovation as we are in Sunderland.

“A huge thank you to the public for their votes, to the event organisers for an incredible day, and to our valued team members, partners and volunteers who are delivering programmes to improve the lives and opportunities of those across our smart city – this win is for you!”

This latest accolade follows Sunderland’s success at the Connected Britain Awards in September 2024, where the city was recognised with the Community Improvement Award. These combined achievements highlight Sunderland’s ongoing efforts to drive digital inclusion and connectivity, further reinforcing its status as a trailblazer in smart city innovation.

For more information about digital inclusion initiatives, visit www.sunderland.gov.uk/GoOnlineSunderland

To follow Sunderland’s leading smart city journey, see www.sunderlandoursmartcity.com