Kim Groves,
Chair of Third Sector Leeds
TSL Round up July 2023
It has been a hectic couple of months as newly appointed Chair of Third Sector Leeds getting to grips with the ever-changing funding landscape and growing strategic challenges. I have also been deeply saddened to hear about the recent passing of one of our sector's brilliant leaders, Heather Nelson. Our passionate people are one of our greatest assets as a sector, and as a city.
As a city we face cuts in the public sector that will impact on services at a time when more is needed not less. Health inequalities have widened despite the hard work from many individuals and organisations.
I have had meetings with Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to discuss the challenges and opportunities the Third Sector face as the consequences of service cuts will leave many communities without strong, experienced local providers. We need to work together now more than ever.
Our third sector work is centred around people and communities, and if devolution and levelling-up is to be successful, these funds must be devolved to support the assets, challenges and inequalities that you all work on tirelessly.
We must also lobby nationally and make the case for sustainable funding and security as well as easy to access grants for smaller organisations who are rich in expertise and delivery but are poor in terms of time.
I also want to reference the Chief Executive of Leeds City Council Tom Riordan and his thought-provoking article, 'Power through Partnerships' - definitely worth a read.
I am overwhelmed by the scale of work covered across the sector from large, long-established charities to small grassroots groups. Thank you for your dedication and hard work, especially our volunteers. Let's be optimistic and leave no stone unturned!
Kim Groves
Chair of Third Sector Leeds
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Third Sector Leeds were deeply saddened to hear that Heather Nelson has passed away unexpectedly.
Heather was a member of the TSL Leadership Group as a representative of the Culturally Diverse Hub, and her contributions to both TSL and wider community work have been invaluable. Heather’s work as Chief Executive of Black Health Initiative had a huge impact on Leeds, from the recent Black Men’s in Conference event to her longstanding reputation as an honest, tireless campaigner for the equality of access for black people in education, health and social care. Our hearts go out to her loved ones and community during this difficult time.
Some TSL members have shared their tributes in our statement.
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Following on from TSL's work to support sector resilience throughout the Cost of Living crisis, Forum Central and Voluntary Action Leeds have partnered to fund a refresh of the 2020 State of the Sector report.
December 2022 data has been compared to the original State of the Sector report (using December 2020 data). Although a full report and analysis is not yet available, initial findings show:
- Third Sector paid workforce has reduced by over a third (34%)
- Registered volunteers have reduced by a quarter (25%)
- The number of organisations reporting reduced income has increased overall
- The number of registered organisations has reduced by 10% (biggest reduction is in small organisations)
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What's next?
The updated State of the Sector report (with 2022 data) will be finalised and published shortly. One of the ambitions in our Third Sector Strategy is for the State of the Sector report to be updated annually, so that we have a clearer picture about what's going on in the sector and how that changes over time.
We need to know how our members use the State of the Sector report to make sure we keep producing useful information! Let us know your thoughts by contacting Meg Russell on megan.russell@val.org.uk or by calling 0113 297 7928
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KMPG have approached Third Sector Leeds to offer their mentorship to third sector organisations. This offer can be bespoke to different organisations, and can include:
- Mentoring individuals
- Assisting with impact assessments
- Help putting together a business plan
- Financial modelling
- Access to networks
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In the last TSL Round Up, we updated members on the draft Third Sector Strategy. We will continue to seek input and feedback on the draft strategy before it is launched in October 2023 - you can feed back your thoughts by contacting Meg Russell directly (contact details below) or by completing our survey.
In October, we will work with Leeds Community Anchor Network to host some 'TSL Goes Local' roadshow events, to understand which of the strategy's ambitions you would like us to prioritise first. The strategy will then be launched at a city-wide event. Keep an eye out for event invitations shortly!
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Action you can take
We need your input as members! Tell us your thoughts on the strategy so far, or have a wider discussion by contacting Meg Russell on megan.russell@val.org.uk or by calling 0113 297 7928. Alternatively, you can feed back anonymously by completing our survey. The deadline for responses is Monday 21 August 2023.
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The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is funding from the Government which replaces EU Structural Funds. West Yorkshire has been allocated a little over £83 million to invest by March 2025, of which £68 million is aimed at ‘core’ activity across three pillars:
- Communities and Place
- Support for local business
- People and skills
Communities and Place (2023/24)
Leeds City Council will be issuing their first call for applications under the ‘Communities & Place’ category for UKSPF very soon.
The funding opportunities will be available through Leeds City Council’s Dynamic Purchasing System. In order to be in a position to apply for them, you will need to enrol on the system. Instructions on how to join can be found here.
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Employment and Skills (2024/25)
The majority of this funding will be allocated through West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Although the funding programme has not yet been confirmed, initial plans are for three main funding streams:
- Work and Health - supporting people that are not currently active in the labour market due to ill health
- Community (VCSE) Grants covering a wide range of different groups not active in the labour market
- Youth Unemployment focused on Young People Not in Employment Education and Training
These opportunities are likely to open for applications in September 2024.
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Action you can take
If you want to know more about UKSPF, wish to feedback on this briefing, or have views and experiences you’d like to share views about how the UKSPF programme is developing in Leeds or elsewhere, please contact Richard.Warrington@val.org.uk.
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The contribution of the VCSE sector in Yorkshire and the Humber
New research has been launched setting out the shape, size, and economic and social value of our voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) in West Yorkshire. In West Yorkshire we have an estimated:
- 13,987 VCSE sector organisations (registered and unregistered)
- 31,875 employees delivering 52.4 million working hours a year
- 126,000 volunteers giving at least 9 million hours of work valued at between £89 million and £126 million a year
- A direct economic value of £1.4 billon and a total estimated value of £5.4 billion when considering added and social value
VCSE Quarterly Barometer - Wave 3, Volunteering
The results from the third wave of the quarterly national VCSE Sector Barometer Survey are now out. The theme for this quarter was volunteering, with 63% of small charities citing volunteer recruitment as a major organisational concern. You can view the dashboard for this quarter, and previous quarters here, with the option to filter down to just view responses from organisations in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Apprenticeships in the Third Sector
Leeds Health and Care Academy have been developing apprenticeship programmes available to any organisation focused on the ‘Wider Determinants of Health,’ which some third sector organisations have already joined. An introductory webinar was held earlier in July, with more information about this offer and the funding available. You can watch the webinar recording here.
Starting new arts and culture groups with Leeds 2030
This programme is designed to help community groups get started, get involved with arts & culture, build community participation and access funding. 20 free workshops will be held at community venues across Leeds placing emphasis on engaging with your community and using arts and creativity to achieve your goals.
Third sector training
Upcoming courses include Roles and Responsibilities of Trustees, and Where to Start with Strategic Planning. See the full training programme here.
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Since April, we're really pleased to welcome Gayle Graham from Health 4 All, who is our new representative for Small Groups at Third Sector Leeds.
The next meeting of the TSL Leadership Group on 7 August will be focused around Leeds becoming a Marmot City. Our guest from the Institute from Health Equity will be joining us to hear from representatives about what's working well in Leeds, and further for more partnership working. If you would like to feed in any examples, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Megan.Russell@val.org.uk
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Contact Us
If you would like to contact us to discuss anything in this bulletin further please ring Meg Russell, Coordinator for Forums, Networks and Research on 0113 297 7928 or email megan.russell@val.org.uk
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Want to share good news from your community?
Doing Good Leeds is a great place to share your successes and promote the work of the third sector in building strong and resilient communities in Leeds. Click here to register and take the first step in sharing your good news!
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