Leeds City Council is committed to increasing digital inclusion across the city through its 100% Digital Leeds programme. 100% Digital Leeds works with partners in the third sector, public sector, and health and care to strengthen the digital inclusion support network in communities.
As part of their work to leverage tech sector support for digital inclusion, 100% Digital Leeds is building cross-sector partnerships that help the city’s third sector organisations benefit from the resources, capacity, and digital skills of the tech sector.
100% Digital Leeds works with over 250 organisations, teams, and services. The team has secured over £4million of external funding for digital inclusion in Leeds. The team has strong partnerships with national organisations such as NHS England, Good Things Foundation, Hubbub, Jangala and Virgin Media O2 Business, securing tens of thousands of smartphones, SIM cards, and volunteer hours. These resources build the capacity of third sector organisations to support digital inclusion for people and communities across the city.
“Working with 100% Digital Leeds has made the process of getting our social value commitments into communities so much easier and more efficient. We at VMO2B have the resources that 100% Digital Leeds are looking for to support organisations, and 100% Digital Leeds have existing trusted relationships with the third sector. So having their support to identify the organisations who would most benefit from those resources, and to broker those relationships with us at VMO2B has helped bridge a gap, ensuring our social value commitments could have maximum impact.”
Evie Metcalfe, Social Value Lead, Virgin Media O2 Business.
Read more about 100% Digital Leeds’s partnership with Virgin Media O2 Business (VMO2B), and how we maximised the impact of VMO2B’s staff volunteer scheme and their social value offer of free tablets and wifi for community organisations.
Experience and expertise
100% Digital Leeds is widely recognised as one of the most successful digital inclusion programmes in the country. The team was funded by Local Government Association to publish their community-based approach to digital inclusion that meets the needs of people, and contributes to a wide range of strategic priorities. This approach is considered best practice and has been adopted by local authorities and combined authorities across the country.
The community-based approach was published on the Digital Inclusion Toolkit, funded by MHCLG and developed by 100% Digital Leeds and partners. The toolkit features in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Digital Inclusion Action Plan as an example of local authority best practice.
The Head of 100% Digital Leeds has been appointed to the Digital Inclusion Action Committee (DIAC), an external advisory body that will work closely with DSIT. Its role is to scrutinise, steer and help determine the work of the government in reducing digital exclusion in every part of the UK. DIAC supports the government’s vision of ensuring that everyone – regardless of age, income, location, or ability – can access and benefit from digital technologies.
The Head of 100% Digital Leeds has also been appointed as co-chair of the Local Delivery sub-committee, advising DSIT on how to maximise the impact of local initiatives and community support. Identifying best practice as well as identifying specific needs of local communities
Maximising the impact of social value
100% Digital Leeds can work with businesses to fulfil their social value commitments efficiently and effectively, making it easier for community organisations to get the support they need to increase digital inclusion across the city.
The four main areas of support that 100% Digital Leeds will focus on when we work with businesses on their social value offer are set out below, with examples of successful approaches to date.
For support with developing or delivering your social value commitment in Leeds, contact Amy Hearn, Digital Inclusion Manager, 100% Digital Leeds amy.hearn@leeds.gov.uk
Provide direct support to community-led initiatives, organisations, projects local to the contract, including those supporting marginalised people
- Monetary donations to the Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund: The Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund is a permanent grant funding stream administered by Leeds Community Foundation in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds. The fund supports the development and delivery of sustainable digital inclusion interventions in Leeds. Grants of up to £10,000 are awarded annually to community organisations aimed at ensuring that individuals and communities in Leeds have the skills, support, and equipment to be active online, now and in the future.
- Monetary donations direct to VCSEs: Businesses can directly support VCSEs with grants to fund digital inclusion initiatives. 100% Digital Leeds can work with businesses to identify VCSEs in need of funding to support digital inclusion for Leeds residents, shape the VCSE’s digital inclusion intervention, and maximise the positive impact of grants given.
Equipment or resources donated to VCSEs
- Monetary grants to Reconome: Circular IT specialists Reconome play a key role in supporting access to devices for digitally excluded people. They recycle unwanted smartphones, tablets and laptops, giving surplus technology a second life, reducing e-waste, and making high-quality tech accessible to those who need it most at an affordable price. With the support of 100% Digital Leeds, a grant to Reconome ensures devices are available to be gifted to the city’s third sector, building their capacity to support digital inclusion for Leeds residents.
- Donation of digital equipment direct to VCSEs: Businesses can directly support VCSEs with donations of new laptops, tablets and other digital devices. 100% Digital Leeds can work with businesses to identify VCSEs in need of digital equipment to support digital inclusion for residents, define an equipment spec to suit the organisation’s needs, and donate equipment.
Read about the impact of AWS’s donation of laptops to Leeds charities GIPSIL and Afrikindess.
No. of hours of staff volunteering time to participate in local community projects, third sector organisations, and local support networks in the area of the contract
- Partnering with a VCSE to support improved digital skills in communities: Businesses can provide additional volunteer capacity to VCSEs delivering digital skills support to Leeds residents. Many VCSEs offer regular digital skills sessions to members, often on a weekly basis. Partnering with a charity to provide corporate volunteers on a regular basis helps charities with the capacity to better support members to improve their essential digital skills.
- Partnering with 100% Digital Leeds to support improved digital skills in communities across the city: Businesses can help Leeds residents to develop the digital skills and confidence needed to use digital tools for everyday life by supporting multiple charities with corporate volunteers on a one-off basis. This approach often sees businesses visiting existing digital skills sessions to offer support in one particular area, such as digital health tools, financial tools, or staying safe online. 100% Digital Leeds can work with businesses to identify charities interested in receiving support.
Provision of expert business advice to VCSEs and MSMEs
- Forge new partnerships via a Digital Volunteering Matchmaking Event: Leeds Digital Volunteer Partnership hosts regular networking events which aim to link businesses seeking employer supported volunteer opportunities with VCSE organisations looking for volunteers to support organisational digital transformation. The aim is for attendees to leave the event having made meaningful matches leading to ongoing, mutually beneficial partnerships.