West Northamptonshire Youth Council - Call for Interest

Posted 1 day ago in West Northamptonshire Council

West Northamptonshire Council in partnership with Clubs for Young People have opened the candidate election for the Youth Council here in West Northamptonshire. 

This is an opportunity for young people between the ages of 11 to 18 years of age, who live, work, are educated or volunteer in West Northamptonshire to put themselves forward to be elected as a Youth Councillor for the 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028 office term.

Being a Youth Councillor provides a great opportunity for young people to engage in local democracy and represent the voices of their peers, whilst shaping conversations and influencing decision on matters that affect them. Youth Council Members meet with decision makers, organise events, make speeches, hold debates and ensure the views of young people are listened to by decision makers. 

The Youth Council is a democratic programme made up of young representatives. Members are expected to promote the positive work of the Youth Council, participate in events and meetings (locally and regionally), as well as contribute to policy discussions and campaigns that reflect the collective voice of young people.

This is the first stage of the election process which involves interested young people to put themselves forward for election. To do this, the young person themselves must complete the election form and write their manifesto via the form link here.

All those who submit a manifesto by the closing date, will then be entered into a public voting process where local young people will vote for who they would like to represent their voices as part of the West Northants Youth Council. The 20 candidates with the top votes will then represent the newly formed Youth Council. 

The closing date for manifesto submissions is the 23 January 2026.

If you have any young people who may be interested or if you are interested in becoming a Youth Council Member yourself, please email: Youth@WestNorthants.gov.uk or submit an application via the form here.