As in many parts of the world, citizens assemblies, juries and other deliberative assemblies are gaining popularity in the UK. The UK Parliament has recently commissioned a nationwide citizens assembly on climate change. My own efforts were on a much smaller scale: a citizens panel for Penzance, a town of 21,000 people, and one of 213 civil parishes in Cornwall.
The Penzance Citizens Panel on Housing and Homelessness was convened by Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum (CIPF) a network of church-based charities that address homelessness and poverty issues. 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?”
