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Community regeneration : The information society in deprived areas of South Yorkshire. BAKER-GREEN, Karl. Available from the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19307/ A Sheffield Hallam University thesis This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Please visit http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19307/ and http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html for further details about copyright and re-use permissions. 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Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Community Regeneration: The Information Society in Deprived Areas of South Yorkshire by Karl Baker-Green A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Sheffield Hallam University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 30th July 2013 Chapter 1 Introduction 9 1.1 The proliferation of Information and Communication 9 Technology (ICT) as a tool to socially and economically regenerate deprived areas 1.2 The expansion and use of technology: 10 small, portable and wireless 1.3 Situating the research 11 1.4 Aims objective and research questions 12 1.5 Organisation of the thesis 13 Chapter 2 The information society, information and 15 communication technology (ICT) and digital divide(s) 2.1 Introduction 15 2.2 The growth of the information society 15 2.2.1 The economic and social importance 17 of the information society 2.3 Policy responses to the digital divide 21 2.4 The problem of ‘universal access’ 26 2.5 Successive types of access 28 2.5.1 Motivation 28 2.5.2 Physical and material access 30 2.5.3 Digital Skills 31 2.5.4 Usage 33 2.5.5 Situating community 36 2.6 Community: a diverse concept 37 2.6.1 The sociological roots of community - community lost 38 2.6.2 The rise of community - community found 42 2.6.3 Community and social capital 44 2.6.4 Community technology centres 48 2.6 Conclusion 50 Chapter 3 Objective 1 Structural Funds 52 3.1 Introduction 52 3.2 South Yorkshires’ economic decline leading 52 to Objective 1 status 3.3 Structural Funds - their aims, objectives and allocation 56 3.4 Objectives of the Structural Funds: Objectives 1, 2 and 3. 58 3.5 Objective 1 Priority 4 - Measure 21 61 3.6 Conclusion 63 2 Chapter 4 Coalfield communities and the 64 village of Grimethorpe 4.1 Introduction 64 4.2 The collapse of the UK coal industry 64 4.3 The regeneration of the coalfields 66 4.4 Grimethorpe - an introduction to a former pit village 71 4.4.1 Economic and social problems 72 relating to Grimethorpe 4.4.1.1 Work 72 4.4.1.2 Housing 73 4.4.1.3 Education and skills 74 4.4.1.4 Transport infrastructure 75 4.4.1.5 Social and leisure activities 75 4.4.1.6 Crime 76 4.5 Embedded units of analysis - phase 1 78 4.5.1 Grimethorpe Electronic Village Hall 79 4.5.2 Learndirect centre 80 4.5.3 Grimethorpe library 82 4.6 Embedded units of analysis - phase 2 83 4.7 Conclusion 85 Chapter 5 Methodological decisions 86 5.1 Introduction 86 5.2 Paradigmatic decisions 86 5.3 Methodology 90 5.3.1 Case Study design 90 5.4 In the field 94 5.4.1 Documentary analysis 95 5.4.2 Interviews 96 5.4.3 Observation 97 5.4.4 Access and field relations 98 5.4.4.1 Phase 1 98 5.4.4.2 Phase 2 100 5.4.5 Sampling techniques 101 5.4.6 Ethical considerations 102 5.5 Data analysis procedure 103 5.6 Conclusion 107 3 Chapter 6 Grimethorpe: the digital divide - it’s all about access! 109 6.1 Introduction 109 6.2 Universal access - a solution to the digital divide 109 6.2.1 Accessing the Grimethorpe Electronic Village Hall 110 6.2.2 Accessing the Learndirect centre 115 6.2.3 Accessing Grimethorpe library 118 6.2.4 The nature of the centres 120 6.3 Accessing the social side of the GEVH and the Learndirect centre 121 6.4 Accessing CTCs and building social capital 125 6.4.1 Bonding social capital 125 6.4.2 Bridging social capital 127 6.5 Discussion 128 6.6 Conclusion 129 Chapter 7 Grimethorpe: ICT and Employment 130 7.1 Introduction 130 7.2 The economic situation of Grimethorpe 130 7.3 The GEVH - ICT skills and employment 132 7.4 The Learndirect Centre - ICT skills and employment 141 7.5 Library - ICT skills and employment 143 7.6 Discussion 144 7.7 Conclusion 145 Chapter 8 Grimethorpe: CTCs and community participation 147 8.1 Introduction 147 8.2 Issues of access to the CTCs at Grimethorpe 147 8.3 Grimethorpe residents, ICT and social capital 149 8.4 Grimethorpe residents, ICT and economic prospects 152 8.5 Discussion 155 8.6 Conclusion 159 Chapter 9 Grimethorpe: a decade of technological change 160 9. 1 Introduction 160 9.2 The expansion and use of technology - small, portable and wireless 161 9.3 The rise of social media 162 9.4 Embedded units of analysis 163 9.4.1 Family one 163 9.4.2 Family two 165 9.4.3 Family three 167 9.5 Accessing and using ICT and the Internet 168 9.5.1 Family one 168 9.5.2 Family two 172 9.5.3 Family three 174 9.6 Discussion 178 9.7 Conclusion 181 4 Chapter 10 Conclusion 183 10.1 Introduction 183 10.2 Addressing the research questions 183 10.3 Contribution to future ICT policy 189 10.4 Recommendations for further research 190 5 LIST OF TABLES: Table 1 Levels of GDP in South Yorkshire and the UK 55 Table 2 Aims and availability of structural funds 57 Table 3 Objective 1 Teams 60 Table 4 Crime rates in Grimethorpe 76 Table 5 Opening times at Grimethorpe Library 83 Table 6 Design Test (adapted from Yin) 93 Table 7 Volume and type of research methods 95 Bibliography 192 Appendices: 1. Summary of Objective 1 Measures 2. Objective 1: Priority 4 - Measure 21 3. Objective 1 Investments: Measure 21 4. Outline of Acorn Centre, Grimethorpe 5. Plan of Electronic Village Hall 6. Basic types of Designs for Case Studies 7. Contact Summary Form 8. The strengths and weaknesses of each type of evidence. 9. Example of Interview Schemas from both phases of the research 10. Phase 1 and 2 participants 11. Coding steps in grounded theory 6 Abstract The proliferation of the information society over the last twenty years has made access to, and engagement with, information and communications technologies (ICT) and the Internet increasingly important aspects of social inclusion in contemporary society. Similarly, the ability to be able to use ICT effectively has been described as the indispensable grammar of modern life. Because of this there is a growing concern between those who have access and can use ICT the Internet and those who don’t - referred to as the digital divide. This has resulted in a plethora of local, national and international policies aimed at getting people online and connected to the Internet being set in motion over the last couple of decades. These policies aim to bridge the ‘digital divide’ by focussing on increasing access to ICT for those living in deprived areas, areas already viewed as suffering from high levels of poverty and social exclusion. South Yorkshire, with many of its villages and urban areas built specifically for the coal industry had suffered from terminal decline with the closure of many of its pits over the last forty years. The decline of manufacturing has resulted in an array of economic and social problems burgeoning within many of its communities, to the point where the South Yorkshire region was granted Objective 1 funding from the European Union. The research explores whether or not ICT and the Internet can become the expected solution to so many diverse and interrelated problems facing the people and places of South Yorkshire - particularly with regard to the social and economic regeneration of deprived areas. The research was undertaken in two phases in 2003 and 2013 at Grimethorpe which in 2003 was considered one of the most deprived wards in Europe. In 2013, due to continued regeneration efforts, Grimethorpe’s social and economic fortunes have improved greatly. Both phases of the research utilised a case study design and qualitative methodology to explore how local residents were accessing and using ICT and the Internet. In the first phase three community technology centres to be found within Grimethorpe were examined, two publicly funded and one from the third sector funded by Objective 1 South Yorkshire.