Part Time, 22.2 hours per week
C3 £19,236.60 – £20,219.40 a year for 22.2 hours a week (£32,061 – £33,699 a year full time equivalent)
Belle Isle is a tenant-managed estate in south Leeds. If you don’t know it yet, it’s just past Hunslet, on the 12, 13 and 13A bus routes, and just off Junction 6 of the M621. This temporary role is to support Belle Isle tenants cope with the cost of living crisis as part of the Community Development Team.
Many Belle Isle households are struggling due to the cost of living crisis. BITMO has brought in a number of measures to help with this including:
• A £70,000 Community Fund that can pay for household goods
• Free food at BITMO’s GATE 4 times a week
• Free family food and activities three days a week during all 13 weeks of school holidays
• A Winter Warmth package of blankets, hot water bottles and other goods
• Running a second-hand winter coats and school uniform project
Could you help with this work for 12 months? We need you to:
- Make contact with every household affected by the benefit cap, offering them help to maximise their benefits, restructure any loans, take advantage of BITMO and other local services and, if relevant, refer them for help in finding a new job or training.
- Extend this support to others in need, including households with debts, the bedroom tax or any future disability benefit cuts.
- Run our winter warmth programme, including the second-hand winter coats scheme, fuel vouchers, warm goods
- Work with volunteers to extend the food offer, which could include a food pantry or co-operative.
- Promote the BITMO Community Fund to those in need of its support.
- Work with BITMO staff and others to make contact with and support those who are hard to reach, at risk, or who have had their gas supply cut off.
- Build our partnerships with other agencies that can help including Green Doctors, the Children’s Centre, Credit Union, Money Buddies, bringing them into Belle Isle and BITMO’s GATE to run sessions and offer support.
While many Belle Isle people are using BITMO services to help them with the cost of living, we are worried that others do not know about them or don’t feel confident to use them. We need someone with the determination and people skills to make contact and build relationships to ensure that we are offering support to all those who need it. Expertise on the benefits system would be an advantage, but we will offer training. Skills to work with people to set out an accurate household budget of their income and expenditure are an important part of the job.
This is a rare opportunity to work with a community-based organisation committed to helping residents of about 1800 households with the cost of living, where you can make a real impact on the lives of parents, children and individuals living in poverty.
Although you will have a base in the BITMO offices and community centre, you will also work off site, for example in other community centres, in local schools and carrying out home visits. There will be occasional evening and weekend sessions.
We offer:
- Contributory Pension scheme.
- Employee Assistance Programme & opt in cashback health plan.
- Annual holiday of 26 days + bank holidays (pro-rata for the duration of the contract)
- Continuous service when transferring to or from other Local Authorities.
- Office location in South Leeds easily accessible by major transport routes & free onsite parking.
This vacancy is open to internal applicants on a 12-month secondment basis from within Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation & Leeds City Council and external applicants on a 12 month Fixed Term Contract. We are open to 12 month secondment from other employers as well.
Please see the job description below.
Applications must be made by completing the online application below and received by 12 noon on Monday 12 January 2026. For an informal discussion about what is involved in this role, call Peter Sutton on 07891 274237. Over the holidays, Peter is working on Monday 29 December and then every day from Friday 2 January.
