North Northamptonshire Youth Advisory Council Elected

20 December 2024

North Northamptonshire Council has appointed 10 young people as members of the newly formed Youth Advisory Council (YAC).

The Youth Advisory Council will promote the interests and needs of young people from their own localities, and the development of services and activities for young people across North Northamptonshire.

It will offer consultation services to the Council, statutory and community organisations. The YAC will be leading social action projects for young people alongside the UK Members of Youth Parliament, who will be elected in February 2025.

The Youth Advisory Council has gained cross-party support from Cllr Scott Edwards, the Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families, Cllr Zoe McGhee, Cllr Emily Fedorowycz and Cllr Melanie Coleman all of whom have been proactive in the selection process.

It’s wonderful to be able to give young people the opportunity to really have their voices heard and to become involved in the democratic process.

As a council we understand the importance of co-production - we need to seek the views of young people on issues that affect them, and the best way to do this is to have them included in the process.

We look forward to the first formal meeting of the Youth Advisory Council, taking place in January.Cllr Scott Edwards, Executive Member for Children, Families, Education and Skills

The inaugural meeting of the YAC will take place on January 7, 2025. It will be an opportunity for all members of the Youth Advisory Council to meet for the first time, informally. 

The following Tuesday - January 14, 2025 - the YAC will be meeting again but this time, formally in the Council Chamber, Bowling Green Road, Kettering. This will be the first of pre-scheduled monthly meetings where Youth Advisory Council members will be able to discuss agenda items as presented to the Council. 

I am absolutely delighted to announce that North Northamptonshire has now appointed its first Youth Advisory Council.

The Youth Advisory Council provides young people with a voice on behalf of all young people on a wide range of important local issues.

The Youth Advisory Council is a very exciting initiative and will ensure young people can shape services and facilities in North Northamptonshire.

Our young people are so vital to all our futures. It is vitally important that young people have a voice on important local issues as well as having a meaningful say in the area’s future.

These appointments not only mark a huge milestone achievement for North Northamptonshire, they provide a vital moment in the shaping of services and facilities in North Northamptonshire – those designed by the future generation for us all, here and now, and for future generations to come.Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council

More information on the Youth Advisory Council is available on the Council’s website.