‘Citizens Panels’, ‘Citizens Assemblies’, and ‘Citizen Juries’ are forms of ‘mini-publics’, in which a small, diverse sample of a target population – be it a town, a city or a country – convene to discuss an issue of common concern.
The Penzance Citizens Panel on Housing and Homelessness was convened by Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum (CIPF). The panel met for five evening sessions over six weeks, and listened to 9 presentations by expert witnesses. The question they addressed was as follows:
“High housing costs, low paid insecure work, eviction and homelessness are all issues that blight local communities in Cornwall, including Penzance. How can we as a community come together to address these issues?”
At the end of it they have come up with a report setting out 21 recommendations. You can download the report at the link on the right.
Download The Penzance Citizens Panel Report
