In a county as vast and rural as Pembrokeshire, life is still lived partly offline. Yet almost every public service — from healthcare to housing and benefits — now assumes digital access. For some, that means convenience; for others, it means exclusion.
This post explores what digital exclusion actually looks like in Pembrokeshire, who it affects, and how local people and organisations are working to bridge the gap.
1. Living Offline in a Digital World
Digital exclusion doesn’t just mean lacking broadband. It’s also about skills, confidence, equipment, and affordability. In Pembrokeshire, entire communities live in mobile and broadband ‘not-spots’. Even 4G coverage can be unreliable across coastal and rural zones like Maenclochog, Cwm Gwaun, and the Gwaun Valley.
According to Ofcom’s 2024 Connected Nations report, around 5% of rural Wales still lacks access to decent broadband (at least 10 Mbps download speed). That figure hides daily realities — missed GP calls, failed online applications, and children unable to complete homework.
2. Why “Digital First” Leaves Rural Wales Behind
The term 'digital first' sounds progressive but assumes everyone can and wants to go online. For Pembrokeshire residents who rely on pay-as-you-go phones, poor coverage or low incomes make that impossible. When Universal Credit, job searches, or healthcare appointments move online, those without internet access are effectively locked out of essential services.
3. Broadband Reality in Pembrokeshire
While the Welsh Government’s ‘Superfast Cymru’ project reached most urban homes, some rural and coastal areas remain outside fibre coverage. Even with 5G rollout, the geography and low population density of Pembrokeshire mean private providers see little incentive to invest.
Community broadband projects, often supported by PAVS or local development funds, have tried to fill those gaps — but coverage and sustainability vary.
4. The Impact on Health and Social Care Access
Telehealth, e-consultations and online mental-health support are now standard, yet they depend on reliable connections. Hywel Dda University Health Board’s services increasingly rely on MyHealthOnline for appointments and results — not ideal for someone in rural Haverfordwest without broadband. Those with dementia, sensory loss, or learning disabilities face additional digital barriers. Missed messages or delayed responses can quickly escalate to crisis-level situations.
5. Benefits and Welfare Systems Gone Digital
Universal Credit, PIP reviews, and LCW/LCWRA assessments now rely on digital portals. Jobcentre Plus assumes claimants can upload documents or attend virtual appointments. In practice, many in Pembrokeshire rely on libraries, family, or community centres for online access. Citizens Advice Pembrokeshire has reported growing demand for digital support linked directly to benefit issues.
6. Housing, Homelessness and Digital Barriers
Housing applications, homelessness referrals, and council housing updates are now online through Pembrokeshire County Council’s website. People without access or literacy find themselves unable to check bids or upload evidence. Path (Pembrokeshire Action for the Homeless) and local advocacy groups like DCAG often bridge that gap by helping people complete applications in person.
7. Learning, Education and Employment
When broadband or devices are limited, education suffers. During the pandemic, pupils in rural Wales struggled to access remote lessons. Even now, young people in digital poverty face barriers to further education and online job applications. Adult learners, too, often depend on PAVS and community projects for digital-skills sessions.
8. Older Adults and Digital Exclusion
Older residents form the largest digitally excluded group in Pembrokeshire. Many rely on landlines or post — yet GP surgeries, pharmacies, and even social care teams now default to email or apps. Organisations such as Age Cymru Dyfed and Carer Support West Wales provide in-person digital-skills sessions and device support to reduce isolation.
9. The Local Response – Who’s Doing What
Local initiatives bridging the digital gap
Pembrokeshire County Council plays a direct role in improving digital access through its Digital Community Support Team, Better Broadband projects, and partnerships across the county’s libraries and learning centres. These include device-loan schemes, digital-skills mentoring, and one-to-one sessions that help residents connect to essential services. The council also supports digital inclusion through its employability programmes — helping young people and adults develop the online confidence needed for training, job searches, and work placements.
This work complements the vital contribution of the third sector: PAVS, Age Cymru Dyfed, Path, and local libraries all deliver day-to-day digital inclusion and peer support across communities. Together, these networks form Pembrokeshire’s digital safety net — patchy in places, but strengthening year by year.
Pembrokeshire’s community sector has stepped up. PAVS coordinates the Digital Communities network, linking voluntary groups tackling exclusion. Libraries act as lifelines, offering free Wi-Fi, printing and guided computer help. Smaller organisations — from HOPE to VC Gallery — integrate digital access into wellbeing and advocacy projects.
10. The Advocacy Role – Helping People Navigate It All
Advocates help people complete forms, access portals, and understand letters. In Pembrokeshire, this includes Citizens Advice Pembrokeshire, Advocacy West Wales, Pembrokeshire People First, and Dyfed Community Advocacy & Guidance (DCAG). Each plays a part: statutory, peer-led, or independent. They’re united by one challenge — translating online bureaucracy into accessible human support.
11. Building Digital Confidence – Practical Help That Works
Confidence grows through small wins: sending an email, checking a result online, video-calling a GP. Community digital hubs in Narberth, Fishguard and Tenby offer workshops for exactly this. Volunteers trained through Digital Communities Wales visit homes and care settings to build trust with those fearful of tech.
12. Future Plans – Welsh Government’s Digital Strategy
The Digital Strategy for Wales (2021) aims for digital inclusion by 2030, focusing on skills, connectivity, and public-sector transformation. Hywel Dda Health Board’s partnership work now includes digital-care pathways, but funding and rural logistics remain challenges. By 2025, the government expects 100% access to gigabit broadband — an ambitious target given the valleys and coastlines of West Wales.
13. Closing: Why Connection is a Human Right in Pembrokeshire
In modern Wales, connection is not luxury — it’s survival. When someone can’t submit a claim, book an appointment, or call for help, digital exclusion becomes social exclusion. The fix isn’t just fibre and routers; it’s empathy, patience, and advocacy. Pembrokeshire’s communities are proving that connection is built person by person, not tower by tower.
References & Verified Links
Ofcom (2024). Connected Nations Report – Wales. https://www.ofcom.org.uk
Welsh Government (2021). Digital Strategy for Wales. https://www.gov.wales/digital-strategy
Citizens Advice Pembrokeshire. https://www.pembscab.org
PAVS (Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services). https://www.pavs.org.uk
Hywel Dda University Health Board – MyHealthOnline. https://hduhb.nhs.wales
Age Cymru Dyfed. https://www.agecymru.org.uk/dyfed
Digital Communities Wales. https://www.digitalcommunities.gov.wales
Path (Pembrokeshire Action for the Homeless). https://www.pathhomelessness.org.uk
Carers Support West Wales. https://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/resident/social-care-wellbeing/carers
VC Gallery. https://www.thevcgallery.com
Pembrokeshire County Council – Digital Community Support: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/digital-community-support
Pembrokeshire County Council – Employability and Skills Team: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/employability-and-skills
