Voluntary Action Leeds (VAL), Volition and Leeds Older People’s Forum (LOPF) are pleased to announce that we have secured the ISF contract and will work together to mobilise it over the coming weeks, with VAL operating as lead. Working with Leeds City Council and NHS colleagues, we will deliver a more coordinated programme of infrastructure and representation support, designed to strengthen the capacity, sustainability and influence of third sector organisations in Leeds.
Our aim is to strengthen support for the third sector, ensuring organisations are well‑equipped to respond to local needs and contribute meaningfully to citywide priorities. The three organisations will continue to work equally within the system of partners in Leeds, both in health and the local authority, to actively engage stakeholders, enabling the sector’s diverse voices to continue shaping strategy, policy and service development across the city.
Together, we are committed to building a strong, connected and resilient third sector that can maximise its impact for communities across Leeds. We will focus on delivering a range of key outcomes:
- Leadership and Representation
- Partnership and Collaboration
- Capacity Building
- Volunteering
We are now focused on mobilising the contract and working closely with funders to ensure the programme is fully prepared for delivery in April. While the scope of the work is extensive, we will build on the existing shared commitment, expertise, networks and connections across our communities in Leeds.
As organisations committed to this work, we welcomed the announcement and shared the following statements from each organisation:
Leeds Older People’s Forum welcomes the opportunity to continue working alongside partners to ensure Third Sector organisations working with older people remain central as our population continues to age.
This contract will mean we continue to work with our members, and hear the voices of older people, who bring deep knowledge of their communities and what helps people live well, stay connected and maintain independence. This work is about listening to their experience, and that of the VCSE sector, making sure it meaningfully informs decisions that affect everyday life.
We look forward to continuing this work together from 2026 onwards.
Jo Volpe, Chief Executive, Leeds Older People’s Forum
As CEO of Voluntary Action Leeds, I recognise how vital it is that we deliver this contract with efficiency, ambition and determination, ensuring we provide the strongest possible offer to the third sector. We already have a proud track record of supporting organisations across Leeds, and I’m confident that we can go even further. I’m excited about the opportunity to strengthen and enhance our offer over the coming years.
We remain open and committed to feedback, and we value hearing from our partners and stakeholders. We look forward to working with you from 2026 onwards.
Thank you for your continued support, and my sincere thanks go to the VAL team whose dedication and hard work have put us in a strong position to make this new contract a success. We look forward to working closely with our partners, stakeholders and funders as we mobilise the contract in 2026.
Anna Martin, Chief Executive, Voluntary Action Leeds
Volition is excited to be working as part of a collective approach to delivering the new Leeds infrastructure contract, building upon many years of close collaboration.
At a time of significant change across health and care, this contract reflects our shared ambition to enhance existing coordination and collaboration, creating an infrastructure offer which is able to better meet emerging challenges faced by our sector and the communities we serve. The award of this contract reflects the city’s recognition of the important role infrastructure plays. The additional security that the contract offers can ensure that Third Sector infrastructure can continue to strive for an equitable and sustainable Third Sector that drives positive change across the health and care system in Leeds.
We are looking forward to the next phase of this journey, working with our local authority and health funders and with VAL, LOPF and wider partners as the contract mobilises in 2026.
Pip Goff, Volition Director, Forum Central
Our collective thanks go to all the teams involved, whose dedication and hard work have put us in a strong position to make this new contract a success. We look forward to working closely with our partners, stakeholders and funders as we mobilise the contract in 2026. Voluntary Action Leeds will act as the lead, and therefore, if you have any questions currently, please direct them to VAL via the Doing Good Leeds website.
The Doing Good Leeds website will be updated ahead of April to reflect the new contract, and we’ll make any further improvements as soon as possible.
More information will come over the coming weeks ahead of starting to deliver the contract in April.
