The 15-member panel will listen to a diverse range of speakers on the inter-related issues of high rents, low wages and homelessness.
Four of the five panel sessions will be wholly devoted to speakers with time left afterwards for panel members to discuss in private what they have heard. We are aiming to have three speakers per panel session with each speaker speaking for no more than 10 minutes. This will be followed by a 20 minute question and answer session. The aim is to have a conversation and allow plenty of time for panel members to listen and question the speakers.
Who we have booked so far
The actual citizen panel starts on Thursday 17th October but dates for specific speakers are still being sorted out. We have had a positive ‘Yes’ from the following people and organisations:
- a representative from St Petrocs Charity.
- A young mother who struggles in rental accommodation
- The Cornwall Area Office for USDAW (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers).
- A CAB advice worker
- An advice worker from the YMCA
- a representative from Cornwall Registered Landlords Association
We are also trying to reach out to Penzance BID since we feel it is important to include the voice of the local business community on this important issue.
We have also contacted Cornwall WILD who often deal with vulnerable parents, some of whom have actually spoken in public forums. So far we have not been able to get a clear response from them.
With regard to St Petrocs, we hope that the speaker will be accompanied by someone who either is – or has – been homeless, and who can give a first hand experience. It takes some guts to stand up in front of a group of strangers and explain what being homeless is like and how he or she came to be in that situation. For that reason we cannot be certain that we can find someone but we will try.
