Young people from Croydon will become councillors for the night when they get to lead a Town Hall debate on housing.
On 17 November, eight A-Level and degree students from Croydon College will step into the shoes of local councillors in a meeting of Croydon Council’s children and young people scrutiny sub-committee.
Under a council initiative to get youngsters more involved in local democracy, the students will quiz council officers and representatives from local bodies on the topic of housing for young people.
The students have already been officially made temporary committee members, so any recommendations they make on 17 November will be considered at a future cabinet meeting.
Supported and trained in advance by the council’s democratic services department, the students will hand the reins back to the usual children and young people scrutiny sub-committee after the debate.
Councillor Sara Bashford, chair of the children and young people scrutiny sub-committee, said: “The chairs of scrutiny decided last year that we wanted to engage more with young people in Croydon, which is where the idea of a young people takeover came from. We are delighted to have the students of Croydon College on board, and look forward to working with them at the committee.”
The issues on the meeting’s agenda include:
o Availability of low cost housing for young people
o Young people’s rights regarding housing
o Private landlords and vetting young people including a possible interview process
o Dealing with youth homelessness and its impact
More information on the initiative and the students can be found on the council website.
