North Northamptonshire Council celebrates the vital role of community engagement
28 January 2026
North Northamptonshire Council is celebrating Global Community Engagement Day today (28 January), recognising the important role that engagement with residents, partners and local organisations plays in shaping public services and informing key decisions.
Global Community Engagement Day highlights and celebrates the importance of involving communities in decisions that affect them. This year’s theme, ‘Strength in Numbers’, reflects the impact that collaboration, shared learning and mutual support can have across local areas.
The Council engages with residents in many ways, gathering views to inform decisions, shape policies and improve services to ensure they remain responsive to local needs.
Global Community Engagement Day is an opportunity to recognise the vital role that our communities play in shaping the work of the Council and the services we provide. Engagement is not just about gathering views, it is about listening, learning and working together to build a stronger North Northamptonshire.Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of the Council.
I want to thank every resident, partner and organisation who has shared their experiences with us. Your voice genuinely makes a difference in helping us make better decisions, improve our services and remain focused on what matters most to local people, so we can deliver services that truly reflect local needs.
We are committed to strengthening that partnership even further in the year ahead.
Our 2025 engagement highlights
Over the past year, residents have engaged with the Council across a wide range of activity:
- Over 40 consultations and engagement activities were published on our Your Voice Matters consultation hub, attracting almost 10,000 responses. Outcomes are published on our We asked, you said, we did webpage to show how feedback influences decisions.
- Adult Social Care began their Co‑production journey, strengthening links with people who access services, unpaid carers and the local Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector. Experts by Experience helped shape the recommissioning of supported living services, and much more.
- The Council’s first Residents’ Satisfaction Survey received nearly 4,000 responses. Findings informed the new Corporate Plan 2025–2029 and helped prioritise areas for improvement.
- Adult Social Care now has over 60 Experts by Experience, whose insight directly influences service design. The new Together for Care Forum provides a monthly space for meaningful collaboration.
- Children’s Services strengthened youth participation through the Youth Advisory Council, which helped deliver the first North Northamptonshire Youth Summit. Over 100 young people attended, with more joining online. The summit provided learning and influence on topics that matter to young residents and opportunities for debate on topics such as votes at 16 and the BIG50.
How you can get involved
You can find out more about activities that influence Council decision making and have your say on public services by joining our consultation register and/ or residents’ panel. Visit the Get Involved page of our Your Voice Matters hub for more information.
You can also express your interest to get involved as an Expert by Experience on our Adult Social Care web page.
Looking ahead
Over the next year, the Council aims to:
- Increase participation in engagement and consultation activity
- Continue improving how we involve residents and partners in shaping services and priorities for 2026 and beyond
- Strengthen Co‑production in Adult Social Care and broaden opportunities for Experts by Experience