Leeds City Council: Tackling poverty through partnership and innovation

Tackling poverty and inequality is at the heart of the overall vision for the future of Leeds, framed by the Leeds Ambitions. The Financial Inclusion team lead several areas of this cross-cutting work and are involved in a range of work areas related to financial inclusion, child poverty, food insecurity and gambling harms. This includes delivering funding programmes such as DfE’s Holiday Activity & Food (HAF) programme and DWP’s Crisis & Resilience Fund (CRF). 

The team work collaboratively with colleagues across the council and external partners in a Team Leeds approach, recognising that partnership is essential to delivering effective support for residents across the city.

The council convenes two overarching cross-sector groups which support the delivery of tackling poverty workstreams. 

The Strategic Welfare & Financial Inclusion Partnership is chaired by the Director of Communities, Housing and Environment, and attended by CEXs of local VCFS, advice and health partners. The Financial Inclusion Steering Group, which was established over 20 years ago, has an operational focus, bringing together delivery partners across council services (such as housing and children’s), community organisations, housing association providers, DWP, credit unions and banks.

These groups facilitate strong working relationships between the key stakeholders in Leeds, ensuring a joined up and cohesive support offer.

Following a pilot with Trussell, the council began administering a cash-first approach for awards of food and fuel through the Local Welfare Support Scheme. Since the cash-first approach was introduced in 2024 up to November 2025, 894 cash awards have been made totalling a value of £168,555. 

Leeds City Council is committed to continuously reviewing and improving its approach to supporting residents. Alongside the cash-first approach, alternative methods are available for supporting some residents, such as individuals experiencing gambling related harms. 

The cash-first approach has also proved highly successful as part of the Leeds approach to administering Household Support Fund, with uptake of cash awards for Council Tax Support claimants consistently in the region of 95 per cent uptake - promoting dignity, flexibility and choice for low-income households. 

To maximise household incomes, the Council and partners are proactive in encouraging take-up of eligible support. For example, as part of a multi-agency Pension Credit Uptake project, the council’s Welfare and Benefits service proactively identifies Council Tax Support and/or Housing Benefit claimants in the city who meet age, income, benefits characteristics of pension credit but are not actively claiming. Using this data, residents are contacted and encouraged to make a claim, including details of relevant advice services. Since the project began, there have been just over 360 successful claims, generating £1.5 million of additional support for low-income pensioners in the city. 

Another example of Team Leeds’ ethos of collaboration is the School Uniform Exchange and Winter Coat Appeal projects. The council commission Wear and Share Leeds, a local charity, to coordinate the donation and distribution of great quality, second-hand items free of charge across the city. 

In 2024/25 80 per cent of local schools take part in the school uniform exchange. In addition to the financial benefits, both projects contribute to the city’s sustainability ambitions, reporting and promoting environmental benefits such as water, CO2 and textile waste savings.

Leeds now has a Community Shop, a social enterprise redistributing surplus stock and helping low-income households maximise their food shopping budget. The council worked closely with key stakeholders including community organisations, elected Members, and residents to ensure the Community Shop would be well placed to benefit the local community and contribute to the aims and vision of the Leeds Food Strategy.

As part of the council’s commitment to continuous improvement in tackling poverty, decision making is evidence-led. Information comes from resident feedback, community partners, local data from council services and national data. Tackling poverty workstreams are regularly reported via internal council governance frameworks including Executive and Scrutiny Boards, with keen member interest reflected in its central role in the Leeds Ambitions.

Leeds City Council works with the Leeds Poverty Truth Commission and other local partners to ensure that views and learning from those with lived experience of poverty is incorporated. The Financial Inclusion team is keen to build on this approach, exploring ways to include a diverse range of experiences.

• Work in partnership. The best outcomes come from relationships with partners, good communication and a shared understanding of the added value in working together.
• Build a strong evidence base. It is important to draw on a wide evidence base including data and statistics, service performance, internal and external expertise and lived experience. Being honest and transparent about challenges and seeking solutions in partnership.
• Test and learn approach. Don’t be afraid to try new things out, and review and adapt approaches to achieve best possible outcomes.