Three of Croydon North’s parliamentary candidates went head to head for young people’s votes in the borough’s first youth hustings on April 30.

Labour’s Malcolm Wicks, Conservative Jason Hadden and Lib Dem Gerry Jerome battled it out listening to young people’s visions for the borough at PJ Community Services, Thornton Heath.

Organiser Richard Serunjogi said the exposure of young people to politicians through the three national televised debates had raised awareness of the power of their votes.

He said: “That’s really made a difference - having politicians thrust into their faces.

“That contact was the first with a politician for many of the young people there, and getting that and realising the candidates are normal people was definitely important.

Mr Serunjogi, a Croydon Guardian community champion, said he thought all three candidates had “fair points”, but said Gerry Jerome’s style was popular with the assembled questioners.

He said: “I think he used his words wisely and he didn’t do much politicking, and that was received well.”