North Northamptonshire Council set to cut community funding pot in half as new youth empowerment grant scheme to replace funding for ward member projects
A council funding pot worth £136,000, which is used by councillors to invest in local projects, could be halved as it is set to be replaced by a smaller grant scheme led by young people.
North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) executive will meet next week to discuss plans to get rid of the current ward member empowerment fund and develop a future youth empowerment grant scheme.
Since 2022, the council has set aside a pot of cash that elected members can use for small community-based projects. Each of NNC’s 68 councillors is allocated £2,000 each financial year, which they are responsible for spending on local initiatives and supporting groups within their wards.
Under its new plans, NNC will repurpose £68,000 of funding from the existing scheme to develop a new grant fund aimed at young people. It will be co-designed with the Youth Advisory Council and focus on empowering young people, supporting projects to strengthen communities and reduce harm, and enabling young people to influence local funding decisions.
If the changes are approved, the youth council will be tasked with developing the initial ideas and priorities for grants, which would then be reviewed with children’s services. They would also help to assess the grant applications from voluntary sector organisations ahead of funding being awarded.
The grants team will support the Youth Advisory Council to devise and develop their new scheme with a target launch date in September 2026.
Cllr Martin Griffiths, leader of North Northamptonshire Council, said: “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.
“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, I hope the whole council will get behind this brilliant scheme as they have done with other initiatives we have brought forward recently.”
While the member empowerment fund is proposed to be scrapped in future years, a reduced funding pool of £68,000 will still be accessible for ward members this financial year.
Councillors will have just three months to apply for their projects, compared to previous years where applications were accepted up until March of each financial year. After August 2026, no more councillor funding applications will be allowed and any unused grants will be allocated to the general revenue fund as an in-year saving.
In the last financial year, councillors spent more than £80,000 on community projects, with 58 elected members participating. NNC reported that almost £320,000 was allocated to projects through the member empowerment fund within the last four years.
The officer’s report states that after 2026/27 the changes to the community funding allocations will save the council £68,000 each year, subject to the new youth fund continuing. As the ward member empowerment fund is discretionary, it can be withdrawn at any point without the requirement to consult.
The report will go to NNC’s executive on Tuesday, April 14, for discussion.