Across the country, councils are proudly announcing their move to fully digital services. The language is confident and clear. The promises are bold. The benefits sound compelling.

Here is how one local council describes its shift:

• digital is easy – You can view your bill and update your account from anywhere you have an internet connection
• digital is quick – Say goodbye to queues, paperwork and waiting on the phone and say hello to online access
• digital is available – It is available 24\7, 7 days a week. and accessible on your PC, laptop, tablet, or smart phone, at a time that suits you
• digital is secure – Managing your account online is now more secure, giving you peace of mind
• digital is greener – Digital uses less energy and helps to reduce our overall carbon footprint
• digital helps others – By using the online service, you can save the council money that can be better used to help those people who need support the most
• digital on the move – View your account on your smart phone or tablet

On paper, it sounds ideal. Efficient. Modern. Forward thinking.

But is digital really as easy and quick as it claims to be?

Digital is easy.  For whom?

If you are already confident online, digital systems can indeed feel straightforward. You log in, navigate a dashboard, update details, download a bill.

But that confidence does not appear overnight.

There is an assumption built into the phrase “digital is easy” that everyone has:

• A reliable internet connection
• A working device
• An email address
• The skills to manage passwords and verification codes
• The confidence to troubleshoot when something goes wrong

I have not seen anything that clearly sets out the training journey for residents. Where is the onboarding support? Where are the step by step guides delivered in accessible formats? Where are the workshops in community centres?

Thankfully, I know how to get online. I understand two factor authentication. I can navigate portals.

But what about someone who does not?

Digital is quick. Until it isn’t.

The idea of saying goodbye to queues and paperwork is attractive. No one enjoys waiting on hold.  But then we are also going into a world of chatbot overwhelm.

Digital systems can also create a different type of waiting:

• Waiting for password reset emails
• Waiting for verification texts
• Waiting for a page to load on slow broadband
• Waiting while you try to work out which button to press
• Waiting for a chatbot to be “online”

Quick is relative.

For someone who is confident and well equipped, digital is quick. For someone who is anxious, unfamiliar or struggling with literacy, digital can feel overwhelming and slow.

Speed depends on skill.

Digital is available 24 hours a day.

Yes, a website can technically be accessed at any time.

But availability is not the same as accessibility.

What about:

• Residents with disabilities who rely on assistive technology
• Older people and those who prefer speaking to a person
• Individuals with limited data plans
• Households experiencing digital poverty

There are significant assumptions in the phrase “available on your PC, laptop, tablet, or smart phone”.

Not everyone owns these devices. Not everyone can afford broadband. Not everyone has mobile data.

Digital poverty is real. It affects families, older residents, people on low incomes and those in temporary accommodation. Moving to fully digital services risks widening inequality if support structures are not visible and robust.

Digital is secure.

Online systems can absolutely be secure. Encryption, identity checks and password protection all contribute to safety.

But security also introduces complexity.

Stronger passwords. Verification codes. Security questions. These are second nature to some of us. For others, they are barriers.

When someone forgets a password, do they know how to recover it? When an account is locked, how quickly can they get help?

Security without support can create frustration.

Digital is greener.

Reducing paper and postage does support environmental goals. That is a positive step.

Yet the environmental benefit does not remove the need for inclusion. Sustainability must be balanced with accessibility. A greener system that excludes vulnerable residents is not truly sustainable.

Digital helps others.

The idea that online use saves the council money so funds can be redirected to those who need support is persuasive.

But this only works if those who need support can still access it.

If digital becomes the default and phone lines shrink, face to face services reduce and paper options disappear, where do people go when they cannot log in?

Where is the support?

The core question is not whether digital can be efficient. It clearly can.

The real question is whether the transition has been designed with empathy.

• Is there visible training?
• Are there community drop in sessions?
• Are there clear printed guides?
• Is there a helpline that does not penalise people for needing it?
• Is there recognition of digital poverty in local strategy?

Moving services online is not just a technical shift. It is a cultural and social one.

Now I am pro-tech and thankfully, I know how to get online. But many do not. And they deserve more than assumptions.

If councils are going all digital, they must also go all inclusive.

• Digital should be easy.
• Digital should be quick.
• Digital should be available.

But above all, digital should be fair.