Plans to develop a new grant scheme aimed at younger residents of North Northants
Your council02 April 2026
North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will meet to discuss plans to develop a new grant scheme designed to help young people across the local area.
Currently each ward across North Northamptonshire receives a sum of money (under the Ward Member Empowerment Fund), dependant on the number of Councillors representing that area, to use for small community-based projects.
It is proposed that the council now work with the Youth Advisory Council to develop a Youth Empowerment Grant Scheme, utilising £68,000 of funding from the existing scheme already set aside. If approved, the plans would align with the council’s recently approved Corporate Plan priority of Family.
It is expected that the scheme will:
- Enable young people to influence local funding decisions
- Support projects improving outcomes for children and young people
- Reduce anti-social behaviour and enhance community safety
- Align investment with local needs
The council intend to work with the Youth Advisory Council to:
- Identify issues affecting young people locally
- Co-design grant themes and criteria
- Ensure youth voice in the decision-making process by members of the Youth Advisory Council having a seat on the grant panel
This proposed change of focus from Ward Empowerment to Youth Empowerment clearly aligns with one of council priorities – Family, as well as the BIG50 vision.Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council
We recognise the importance of our younger residents’ voices and are here to listen to them. After all, we hope that many of children and young people in the area will live in North Northamptonshire for years to come.
If the report is approved, we will work alongside the Youth Advisory Council to develop the new grant scheme which once up and running will help improve the lives and communities of our young people across the whole of North Northamptonshire.
If the report is approved, I hope the whole council will get behind this brilliant scheme as they have done with other initiatives we have brought forward recently.
It is proposed that the new grant scheme would go live in Autumn 2026. In the meantime, the Ward Empowerment Fund application window will be open for Councillors between 5 May 2026 and 4 August 2026 with a reduced allocation per ward made available.
North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will meet on Tuesday 14 April at 10am at the Corby Cube and the papers are now available online. The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube.