The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology published two open letters on 17 July 2026: one addressed to industry and one to the financial sector. The GOV.UK publication says both are intended to bring leaders of essential private-sector digital services into joint work with government on services that are easier to use, more accessible and less exclusionary. (gov.uk) The material is published as correspondence rather than a formal consultation. On the wording of the letters, ministers are seeking voluntary collaboration first, with the immediate focus on service design, accessibility and customer experience. (gov.uk)
Both letters start from the same policy case: digital services are now basic infrastructure for everyday life. The published text points to online tasks such as managing money, paying bills, accessing transport and reading news, and says too many people still find those services difficult, frustrating or inaccessible. (gov.uk) The industry letter adds a sharper evidence point. It says around 27% of UK adults are 'narrow internet users' and around 43% ask other people to complete an online task for them. The government is using those figures to make a broader point: exclusion is not only about being offline, but also about whether services can be used confidently and independently. (gov.uk)
The operational ask is relatively clear. Ministers want digital services that are simpler to understand, better designed for disabled people and for people at risk of digital exclusion, and more secure without layering on unnecessary complexity. In policy terms, that places accessibility, safety and usability in the same frame rather than treating them as separate workstreams. (gov.uk) DSIT says it wants industry partners to help define the problem, agree what good practice looks like, and set a cross-sector roadmap with a timetable for adoption. The industry letter describes the preferred route as voluntary and standards-led, while also saying further government intervention remains under review if progress is too slow for the scale of the issue. (gov.uk)
The letter to financial services is notably different in tone. Rather than starting from a blank sheet, it says banks and other finance firms have already made substantial progress through inclusive design, accessibility testing, clearer customer journeys and stronger support for customers with complex needs or vulnerabilities. It adds that many organisations in the sector are now seen as examples of leading practice. (gov.uk) That matters because the financial sector is being asked not only to improve its own services, but also to help shape consistency across the wider economy. HM Treasury co-signs the sector-specific letter, and the message to finance is that its experience should help government work out what a more consistent digital experience across sectors could look like in practice. (gov.uk)
For organisations, the immediate practical effect is likely to be preparatory rather than compliance-driven. On the published wording, firms should expect closer attention to end-to-end user journeys, the availability of help when users run into problems, and whether identity, privacy or security controls create avoidable barriers for disabled users or people with lower digital confidence. That reading is an inference from the criteria set out in the letters, rather than a separate formal requirement announced by government. (gov.uk) The letters also suggest that accessibility is being treated as part of mainstream service performance, not as a side obligation. Because ministers link usability, trust and participation, affected organisations may need stronger coordination between service design, customer support, risk and inclusion teams if the proposed cross-sector roadmap moves forward. That assessment is also an inference from the published text. (gov.uk)
The move sits within a broader government programme on digital inclusion. In March 2026, DSIT said the Digital Inclusion Action Plan had helped more than 1 million people get connected in its first year, supported the donation of more than 22,000 devices, and channelled £11.9 million into more than 80 community programmes. The same update said the action plan had launched in February 2025. (gov.uk) HM Treasury's Financial Inclusion Strategy gives the same agenda a service-access angle, stating that 1.6 million people in the UK are largely offline and that digital exclusion makes everyday banking harder. For the public, the letters do not create an immediate new right or a new service. Their plain-English meaning is that government wants fewer dead ends, clearer routes through essential online tasks and better support when digital systems are hard to use; the expectation of more consistent minimum practice is an inference from the letters and the wider policy programme. (gov.uk)