Leeds City Council

Digital access has never mattered more. But thousands of people in Leeds still face barriers to getting online.

Working with the city council’s 100% Digital Leeds programme, we’ve been providing digital support for local organisations and residents as part of our connectivity contract.

This partnership has reinforced why collaboration is fundamental for successful social value delivery.

When Leeds City Council launched 100% Digital Leeds, its goal was simple: make sure no one is left behind in our increasingly digital world.

That’s where we came in.

Partnering with 100% Digital Leeds, we worked with a range of organisations to provide free connectivity, tablets and in-person support to help individuals and community organisations bridge the city’s digital gap.

Through this social value programme, we’ve helped a total of 18 local voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) improve their digital offering.

Here’s how:

Free ultrafast business broadband

We’re providing five years of free ultrafast business broadband, giving ten third-sector organisations unlimited WiFi worth more than £3,000 per connection.

This helps them redirect funds to where they’re needed most while offering residents dependable connectivity in trusted community spaces.

Working with 100% Digital Leeds, we focused on organisations where a lack of WiFi limited their ability to support people with online tasks and digital services.

These are places that host a wide mix of groups and community activities, making connectivity essential.

One of the recipients is the Hamwattan Centre, which supports older people in Leeds, particularly those of Pakistani and Kashmiri heritage.

With free WiFi, staff and volunteers can now provide quicker, more effective support to the people who rely on them

Tablets provided to local VCSEs

We donated 100 SIM-enabled tablets to community organisations across Leeds, working with 100% Digital Leeds to identify partners who needed devices to support digital inclusion.

Eight organisations received tablets:

• Barca-Leeds
• Trust Leeds
• AVSED
• Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum seekers (PAFRAS)
• CATCH
• Freedom 4 Girls
• Halton Moor and Osmondthorpe Project for Everyone (HOPE)
• Box Tree Court Residents Association

They work with people most at risk of digital exclusion such as refugees, older residents, prison leavers, people experiencing homelessness and women on low incomes.

We paired the tablets with free data SIMs through our partner, the Good Things Foundation’s National Databank, giving organisations flexibility to use them in digital skills sessions or gift them to people who couldn’t afford their own device.

One tablet went to a man called Andrew through Barca-Leeds’s Accommodation for Ex- Offenders (AFEO) service, helping him look for work, reconnect with family and bid for social housing as he resettled in Leeds after being in prison.

Through our Connect More digital-skills programme, our employees can use up to five volunteering days a year to provide face-to-face support in the community.

Every volunteer completes Digital Champion training so they can help people build confidence using online tools and services.

Working with 100% Digital Leeds, we set up a programme of digital drop-in sessions in GP practices and community health settings across the city.

This gives our staff a structured way to use their volunteering hours to support people with digital health tools.

So far in 2025 we’ve:

• Delivered 54 hours of support across five GP practices and a community organisation
• Helped 103 people build the skills they need to manage their health online.

We’re also setting up digital health support hubs in partnership with Leeds Community Healthcare to help patients (and carers) build the confidence to manage their health online.

Our partnership with 100% Digital Leeds shows what’s possible when technology and community action come together.

When people have the tools and confidence to get online, everyday life becomes easier to manage.

They can book health appointments, look for work, apply for housing, pay bills and stay in touch. Without that access, those already at risk can miss out on timely help or face greater barriers.

When technology is paired with local partnerships that offer real human support, services become easier to reach and more responsive to everyone’s needs.

Every organisation plays a part, whether it’s NHS staff having digital conversations with patients, community partners helping prison leavers and asylum seekers get online or volunteers helping neighbours build digital confidence.

With the right infrastructure and inclusive support, digital access becomes a foundation for opportunity. It helps people stay connected, build independence and move forward with confidence.

Call us on 0800 064 3790 to chat about how we can support your environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

Or learn more about how we’re helping the public sector stay connected.