Published: February 3, 2026 at 8:20 am
Barnsley is to become the first government-backed ‘Tech Town’ in the UK, with AI at the core of public services, healthcare, schools and jobs.
Tech giants Microsoft, Cisco and Adobe have backed the plans as the former South Yorkshire mining town looks to create a blueprint for the rest of the UK to follow.
The government said that today marks the start of a transformation designed to make life easier, fairer and more prosperous in Barnsley – from AI tools that help GPs triage patients quicker to new digital training for adults.
Over the next 18 months, the government says it will work closely with local business leaders, educators, NHS workers and more to train people for the jobs of the future, with local services ‘fit for the AI era’.
It said AI could ensure communities left behind by the economic changes of the 20th Century – such as the demise of the mining and manufacturing industries, in favour of a more service-based economy – can seize the benefits of the 21st.