Barnsley becomes UK’s first government-backed Tech Town
Barnsley named UK’s first Tech Town – with local schools and college, businesses, NHS and more getting bespoke government support to unleash opportunities of AI.
Barnsley - UK's first Tech Town seizing new opportunities with AI.
- Barnsley named UK’s first Tech Town – with local schools and college, businesses, NHS and more getting bespoke government support to unleash opportunities of AI
- Delivers on town’s ambitions to put AI to work in overhauling public services and business, blazing a trail for the rest of the UK to follow
- Leading firms including Microsoft, Cisco and Adobe back the plans and pledge to support local people’s access to jobs of the future
- Follows launch of free AI training for all as part of commitment to upskill 10 million UK workers, naming of Lanarkshire as latest AI Growth Zone, and £36 million investment into AI Research Resource supercomputer
People across Barnsley could see improved public services, better support in local schools, quicker NHS care and new opportunities for jobs and skills as it becomes the UK’s first government backed Tech Town.
Announced today (Tuesday 3 February), Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has set out plans to put the full heft of government behind the town’s rollout of AI across everything from education to health and more.
Tech Town status will position Barnsley as the UK’s trailblazer, acting as a national blueprint for how AI can improve everyday life. From AI tools that help GPs triage patients quicker, to new digital training for adults – today marks the start of a transformation designed to make like easier, fairer and more prosperous in Barnsley.
Over the next 18 months, government will work closely with local business leaders, educators, NHS workers and more to build local talent who can access the jobs of the future, and make local services fit for the AI era. Unleashing AI’s potential to turbo-charge how we learn and upskill is a central part of Barnsley’s regeneration plans, and the government’s ambitions for the UK overall too. Barnsley is set to forge a path the rest of the country, could follow – one that makes sure communities left behind by the economic changes of the 20th century, can seize the benefits of the 21st.
This will include:
- free AI and digital training - working with Barnsley College and the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology, residents will be able to take part in free courses to boost their career, retrain or simply learn something new
- help to increase AI adoption – expanding the Seam Digital Campus to give small and growing businesses hands‑on support to use new technology, scale up and create good local jobs. The Seam is already home to 33 digital businesses, with plans for it to become an AI Campus based around a new National Centre for Digital Technologies
- innovating in healthcare - partnering with Barnsley Hospital to test AI tools that offer quicker check-ins, faster triage and smoother outpatient care - providing a better service and freeing up NHS workers to focus on what they do best
- tools to support teaching and learning –testing AI and edtech tools in schools and Barnsley College, to improve evidence of the impact of technology on pupil outcomes, inclusion and reducing teacher workload
- building the right infrastructure - planning how the town will use technology better like public buildings and Wi‑Fi, as well as adding strong cybersecurity so people can use digital services with confidence and boosting connectivity
Government will use its convening power to get leading tech companies involved in this work in Barnsley, with Microsoft and Cisco’s UK CEOs joining Kendall on a visit to Barnsley, to see the town’s digital and AI ambitions first-hand. Leading tech firms including Cisco, Microsoft and Adobe are backing the plans – with all 3 pledging a package of initiatives to boost Barnsley’s AI and digital talent, so that people of all ages can build the skills that will help them access the jobs of the future in growing tech industries. Key local organisations like Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce and Barnsley CVS are also set to partner the Tech Town initiative.
This follows a raft of government action last week to unleash AI’s potential as a force for national renewal: from the launch of free AI training for all as part of commitment to upskill 10 million UK workers, to the naming of Lanarkshire as the latest AI Growth Zone, as well as a £36 million investment to upgrade the AI Research Resource supercomputer in Cambridge.
Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:
I am delighted to have been invited by Barnsley, to work with them to achieve their ambition to become the UK’s leading tech town.
If we are going to get AI to work for Britain, we need Britons and British public services that can work with AI. That is why Barnsley’s ambitions are crucial, because if we can show that AI helps young people learn, supports local businesses to be more productive, and improves public services, then we can show what’s possible for the whole country.
What we learn here will shape how we roll out AI across the UK - making sure every community sees the benefits.
Barnsley Council Leader Sir Stephen Houghton CBE said:
One of the key missions in our Inclusive Economic Growth Strategy is for Barnsley to become the UK’s leading digital town. Welcoming the Secretary of State to Barnsley to announce that we are the UK’s first Tech Town underlines our ambition and commitment to innovation which will benefit our residents, businesses and partners. This is one of the most important investments in Barnsley in our history and will help secure our long-term economic future.
The Tech Town programme is where cutting-edge technology meets everyday usefulness. It will complement our existing plans at The Seam Digital Campus, including the National Centre for Digital Technologies, and the Health on the High Street programme, which is revolutionising how residents can access health and wellbeing services in Barnsley.
We’re looking forward to working with colleagues from DSIT, our residents and our partners to shape the programme to create safer, smarter public services and new opportunities for everyone to thrive in the emerging and fast-paced AI landscape, blazing a trail for the rest of the country to follow.
South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said:
Thanks in no small part to work being led by Steve Houghton and Barnsley Council, we’re building a bigger, better economy in South Yorkshire, creating jobs and opportunities in the industries that will define the next generation and beyond.
That’s why the government have recognised Barnsley as the UK’s first Tech Town. Because we have already built a thriving digital ecosystem, from The Seam Digital Campus and the growing cluster of digital and creative businesses, to the cutting edge training at Barnsley College and the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology. Barnsley has all the foundations of a modern, thriving tech economy.
This is a place that is driving real change across our region. Being recognised as the first Tech Town in the UK both reflects and reinforces that momentum, strengthening South Yorkshire’s position as one of the most exciting tech communities in the country.
UK government AI Ambassador, and 2024 Nobel Prize Winner for Economics, Simon Johnson said:
AI is changing everything, and the opportunities are massive. We have to make sure that everyone, wherever they live and whatever their background, gets to feel the benefits.
But that will only happen with ordinary people in the driving seat. That’s why what’s happening in Barnsley is going to be critical, to the whole country’s AI aspirations. By putting this technology into the hands of local people, working to improve their town, Barnsley can guide us to an AI-powered future that puts people and their families first, and that builds stronger communities.
Naming Barnsley as the UK’s first Tech Town is about putting local residents in the driving seat. Over the coming months, they will be invited to a series of “Tech Town Halls” - giving local people a real say in how AI is used across the community and an opportunity to feedback their experience of using the technology.
Barnsley is already embracing AI and other technologies to improve people’s lives. Delivery company EVRi recently trialled robot delivery dogs in the town, it is one of the first UK councils to roll out Copilot at scale and it is being used to support overstretched social care teams from paperwork.
Becoming a Tech Town will help take these bold ambitions to the next level. Just last month the government announced plans to make safe AI-powered tutoring tools available to up to 450,000 children in a bid to level the playing field for disadvantaged pupils. Trials will start in summer this year with a number of schools in Barnsley being considered.
While Barnsley’s Seam Digital Campus is set to be expanded into an AI campus; to help local firms make use of AI, to link them with universities and investors, and to help build a pipeline of local skilled tech talent.
Becoming a Tech Town will help take these bold ambitions to the next level. Just last month the government announced plans to co-design and trial safe AI-powered tutoring tools in schools. These tools could support up to 450,000 disadvantaged children; levelling the playing field for those who cannot afford private tutors. The co-design will start in the summer term this year with schools in Barnsley being considered.
Support for Barnsley Tech Town
Nathan Hancock, Vice President and MD, Adobe UK, Ireland and Middle East, said:
AI is reshaping businesses, industries and the economy at a rapid pace, but it will only reach its full potential if skills and training programmes are accessible and delivered in partnership with industry to meet the real-world needs of businesses today.
By partnering with the government on the Tech Town initiative, we will bring the best of Adobe’s AI-driven tools, skilling and education programmes to the community, accelerating innovation and creativity, transforming careers and creating a talent hub in Barnsley that supports the UK’s ambition of becoming a leading AI economy.
Sarah Walker, CEO, Cisco UK and Ireland, said:
AI is set to be more transformative than the advent of the Internet. But to really matter to our citizens today, it must translate locally. That’s exactly what this first government-backed Tech Town is designed to deliver. How AI can be applied in real places, for real people, to make everyday life and work better. Whether that’s a parent being able to book childcare more easily, or a small business finding the confidence to hire and grow.
>Together with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and local leaders, we are excited to support Barnsley showcasing how towns across the UK can turn AI innovation into visible improvements in people’s lives, prospects and public services.
Barnsley College CEO and Principal, David Akeroyd, said:
Being named the UK’s first government‑backed Tech Town is a significant moment for Barnsley, and Barnsley College is proud to be at the heart of this ambition.
This work reflects the long-standing commitment, vision, expertise and dedication of the College and our partners, who continue to push boundaries and provide a sector-leading digital curriculum to ensure our community can build the skills needed for an AI‑enabled future.
Together, we are creating new opportunities for people across Barnsley, opportunities that will shape lives, strengthen our economy, and open the door to a more innovative and prosperous future.
Notes to editors
Barnsley Tech Town supports Barnsley 2030: Barnsley Council’s long-term plan to build a prosperous, better, fairer and more inclusive town.
As part of Barnsley’s ambition to become the UK’s leading digital town, work is already well underway delivering the Seam Digital Campus, part of the South Yorkshire Investment Zone, which is home to DMC: an innovation space for digital and creative scale-ups. This is where the forthcoming National Centre for Digital Technologies will be based.
The £15 million Barnsley campus of the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology is also already up and running, offering a state-of-the-art learning environment that replicates industry conditions and uses the latest equipment
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