Dear colleagues,

Young Lives Leeds recognises it’s a difficult time for communities, our third sector members and for our statutory partners. As the Cost-of-Living crisis has developed, members have been feeding back your experiences and this vital intelligence has informed work to develop the city’s Cost-of-Living response, like the roll out of ‘Warm Spaces’ across Leeds.

Young Lives Leeds has been working with colleagues in the Children and Families Department to advocate for communities and the third sector. Through our membership of Third Sector Leeds we have worked with senior Council colleagues to agree shared principles setting out how we can work in partnership to face the challenges ahead.

Members that receive funding from the Children and Families Department have recently been contacted to explain the Council’s challenging financial circumstances and that a programme of service review which is seeking to make savings to non statutory delivery is underway. Not all Young Lives Leeds members that receive funding from the Children and Families Department will be affected by these service reviews. Nevertheless, we know that this process will be challenging for both the organisations directly affected and for the whole third sector.

In Third Sector Leeds’ conversations with colleagues at the Council around the Cost of Living crisis, we have made the case that any changes to contracts or grants should be made in accordance with the Compact for Leeds (2017) and we recognise that the Children’s and Families department is committed to applying this principle.

Young Lives Leeds is engaging with our Children and Families colleagues to advocate for an approach that puts communities first, and protects services which are more ‘preventative’ in nature. We have and will continue to advocate for the sector and its role in delivering essential services for Children, Young People and Families for the city of Leeds. As Chair of YLL, I have contacted Cllr Venner, Executive Member for Adults and Children’s Social Care and Health Partnerships, who has confirmed she is committed to dialogue with the sector. We have agreed to meet on a regular basis which should enable us to maintain effective communication and develop joint approaches to what is essentially a national crisis.

YLL continues to make the case that where service changes are necessary, that the approach to these changes should include all parts of the system (both public and third sector) and that they should made from the perspective of what delivers the best outcomes for communities. If groups of members delivering related services are affected, YLL are ready to listen, to bring organisations together to collate members’ proposals for making savings, and to hold a space for organisations to meet and discuss potential ways forward.

If you have a cost-saving proposal or would like to be part of these discussions, or would like to discuss how the Cost of Living or the Council’s service reviews are impacting your organisation, please contact ann.crossland@val.org.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Law
Chair for Young Lives Leeds