A major youth charity has unveiled plans for national youth council “rebirth”, a year after the closure of the 76-year-old British Youth Council.

The National Youth Agency, which took ownership of the British Youth Council’s assets and programmes last summer – including its flagship UK Youth Parliament programme – has laid out a vision for a newly-established National Youth Council.

The youth work charity’s What the Future Holds report, which is based on extensive consultation with key stakeholders, includes a series of recommendations on the model, governance and funding of a new and sustainable National Youth Council.

The proposals, which are subject to funding and government support, suggest that the governance of the new National Youth Council should include an elected, youth-led executive board as well as a UK-wide advisory expert board, representing all four nations.

The BYC’s governance model consisted of a trustee board guided by a chief executive officer. All of the trustees were aged between 16 and 25, and six of them were elected from its membership while five were appointed by the board.

NYA said that its consultation attracted a range of views on the governance model of a new youth council. 

Many respondents wanted to see young people in democratically elected leadership roles supported by well-equipped adult structures to provide additional leadership and guidance. 

Another common theme was the need for a separate board to handle legal issues, comprising experts or young people with evidenced experience of organisational governance and leadership, NYA said.

The report recommends a robust and effective governance model that “upholds the principles of youth leadership while ensuring appropriate structures are in place to provide necessary support and guidance”.

This includes a youth-led executive board that should be equipped with the necessary resources and support to critically assess and scrutinize strategic decisions; and a UK-wide advisory expert board to offer insights, strategic guidance and ensure that youth-led mechanisms are well-informed, inclusive and reflective of the diverse experiences of young people across the country.

The report adds that the new National Youth Council should operate as a membership framework, with benefits such as subsidised training, discounted resources and networking opportunities to enhance youth engagement.

This framework should include a “fair and transparent” standardised membership fee structure that ensures every organisation, regardless of size or financial capacity, feels valued, supported and empowered to contribute effectively, the report says.

The NYA has proposed a structure for stakeholder engagement that incorporates five key leadership stakeholder components to ensure balanced representation from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and national organisations such as Scouts and Girlguiding.

The report adds that a youth assembly model, as opposed to a council, would “allow for diverse systems and structures to operate effectively within a unified framework, ensuring representation while maintaining the integrity of individual national and organisational approaches”.

NYA has also recommended that five-year, sustainable, blended funding models should be developed and secured for the new National Youth Council, utilising the flexibility of grant trust funds, corporate partners, membership organisations and the government.

The report also recommends that all service delivery areas are aligned with a comprehensive business plan and that a comprehensive Equality, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging strategy is developed in alignment with the National Youth Council’s core values.

The report was formally endorsed by key youth bodies with a vested interest in the recreation of a National Youth Council, including the charities: Scouts, OnSide Youth Zones and Groundwork. 

The NYA said it was exploring how the proposals could be taken forward with the backing of the government and other funding sources.

Esther Horner-Aird, strategic youth voice lead at NYA, said: “This report marks a significant step forward in reimagining how a National Youth Council to the UK can unite our nation of nations and amplify, empower, support and resource effective youth voice and influence structures. 

“The vision, endorsed by key bodies that can make it happen, is for a new and reinvigorated National Youth Council to the UK. This network will allow young voices from all backgrounds to be heard, enable key policies to be interrogated and to ensure that young people across the UK are central to policy development and scrutiny, as well as local decision-making, that affects them.”