Croydon’s Opportunity and Fairness Commission is to stage an Open Day on Tuesday, September 1.

“The Open Day will be an opportunity for members of the public to directly contribute to the Commission’s work,” they announced.

The Commission, a pet project of council leader Tony Newman, was formed last year by the incoming Labour council and provided with a generous £200,000 budget. The Commission says it will publish an interim report on the issues that matter in the borough next month, with its final report to follow in January 2016.

“Members of the public are strongly encouraged to drop in to have their voices heard.” But with the interim report due to be published just a couple of weeks later in September, it is hard not to consider that the Open Day is a form of box-ticking exercise.

The Commission describes the Open Day as “one of… many public engagement events”, although Inside Croydon is not aware of any other such events since the launch meeting in January and a lecture provided by a former adviser to Tony Blair.

The event will be at the Croydon Conference Centre (not the originally publicised venue) from 2.30 to 7.30pm.

“It will be an informal and friendly event, and include a rolling presentation about the Commission’s findings so far and the emerging priorities the Commission has identified,” they said.

“The Open Day is open to everyone – whether you are a charity, community group, or a resident. Food and drinks will be provided.”

• Inside Croydon Events: for dates and links to what’s happening in and around Croydon, updated daily, click here

• ---

  Inside Croydon: Named among best regional media campaigns, 2014.

• Croydon’s only independent news source, based in the heart of the borough: 729,297 page views in 2014.
• If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, a residents’ or business association or local event, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com