Election hustings Feb 27th
As Education and Campaigns officer one of my main policies would be to launch a campaign against profiteering in student accommodation and bad student living standards in general. Housing is one of the biggest problems affecting the quality of student life and education.
University provided accommodation for students is a step in the right direction in tackling this problem.
However, rent charged by the university must be capped at running cost price. This includes maintenance and staff - who should at least be paid the London living wage. Students must not be a source of profit for the university. They especially should not be a source of profit for big business.
Allowing the market into student housing means re-creating the disparity between rich and poor, inside university dorms, that prevails in society at large. It drives down quality as private companies seek to maximize their profits by charging high rents and cutting corners on maintenance and staff.
Education and accommodation are social needs, not a business opportunity. Treating them as such worsens student living conditions, and therefore education. Students are forced to take part-time jobs and live far away from campus to save money.
Open the books
At the moment, rent in university provided accommodation increases above inflation each year. There is no justification for this. As Education and Campaigns officer I will campaign to force UCL to 'open the books' on the real costs of running student accommodation, and for rents to be capped at that level.
A success in this campaign would be a real blow to universities and businesses who profiteer from their students up and down the country, and would be an example for other student unions to follow.
Student tenant unions must be set up by UCLU and ULU (University of London Union). Elected halls reps should be responsible to UCLU council and to the halls they represent. The Halls and Accommodation Representative must look at which landlords have many student tenants, and organise them into student tenant unions.
I will oppose any redevelopment plan that affects students in UCL or intercollegiate halls, that is detrimental to their interests as students.
Officially, the university guarantees all first year students university halls. This option should be extended to all students. But the truth is that the university fails in this promise and some first year students are forced to seek private accommodation at extortionate rents and often of substandard quality.
Rent rises
UCLU must campaign against the scandal of extortionate private accommodation too. Landlords endorsed by the university must set rents at reasonable prices for students. Rents should go up only in proportion to the number of tenants.
If they refuse to do this, then the university should either buy them out or build alternative accommodation, expanding the university controlled supply.
How can we make sure the university does this? Once again, the student union must organise an effective campaign, drawing in the maximum number of students.
I am in favour of a full-time elected accommodation officer in UCLU, who would be responsible for leading these campaigns. The student union must have the right to know which landlords own a large stock of student housing, especially those advertised through the university.
We need to know how much they are charging in rent and what quality of service they provide. We need a well organised accommodation department in UCLU which actively listens to students housing complaints and fights for better housing.
Public backing to student housing
The reason that the number of university-provided beds is insufficient is because of cuts to education funding and the relative poverty of many students. The university therefore finds it more profitable to invest in other things, rather than meeting students' needs.
Vulnerable, poor and inexperienced students are thus forced into insecure housing conditions run by dodgy, unregulated landlords. This goes right to the heart of the crisis of capitalism, the housing bubble, debt, speculation and austerity.
Thus as education and campaigns officer I will fight for socialist policies in the NUS and labour movement. We need a socialist government which invests in public, social and high quality housing for all students and workers.
Vote Stella #1 for Education and Campaigns Officer!
University provided accommodation for students is a step in the right direction in tackling this problem.
However, rent charged by the university must be capped at running cost price. This includes maintenance and staff - who should at least be paid the London living wage. Students must not be a source of profit for the university. They especially should not be a source of profit for big business.
Allowing the market into student housing means re-creating the disparity between rich and poor, inside university dorms, that prevails in society at large. It drives down quality as private companies seek to maximize their profits by charging high rents and cutting corners on maintenance and staff.
Education and accommodation are social needs, not a business opportunity. Treating them as such worsens student living conditions, and therefore education. Students are forced to take part-time jobs and live far away from campus to save money.
Open the books
At the moment, rent in university provided accommodation increases above inflation each year. There is no justification for this. As Education and Campaigns officer I will campaign to force UCL to 'open the books' on the real costs of running student accommodation, and for rents to be capped at that level.
A success in this campaign would be a real blow to universities and businesses who profiteer from their students up and down the country, and would be an example for other student unions to follow.
Student tenant unions must be set up by UCLU and ULU (University of London Union). Elected halls reps should be responsible to UCLU council and to the halls they represent. The Halls and Accommodation Representative must look at which landlords have many student tenants, and organise them into student tenant unions.
I will oppose any redevelopment plan that affects students in UCL or intercollegiate halls, that is detrimental to their interests as students.
Officially, the university guarantees all first year students university halls. This option should be extended to all students. But the truth is that the university fails in this promise and some first year students are forced to seek private accommodation at extortionate rents and often of substandard quality.
Rent rises
UCLU must campaign against the scandal of extortionate private accommodation too. Landlords endorsed by the university must set rents at reasonable prices for students. Rents should go up only in proportion to the number of tenants.
If they refuse to do this, then the university should either buy them out or build alternative accommodation, expanding the university controlled supply.
How can we make sure the university does this? Once again, the student union must organise an effective campaign, drawing in the maximum number of students.
I am in favour of a full-time elected accommodation officer in UCLU, who would be responsible for leading these campaigns. The student union must have the right to know which landlords own a large stock of student housing, especially those advertised through the university.
We need to know how much they are charging in rent and what quality of service they provide. We need a well organised accommodation department in UCLU which actively listens to students housing complaints and fights for better housing.
Public backing to student housing
The reason that the number of university-provided beds is insufficient is because of cuts to education funding and the relative poverty of many students. The university therefore finds it more profitable to invest in other things, rather than meeting students' needs.
Vulnerable, poor and inexperienced students are thus forced into insecure housing conditions run by dodgy, unregulated landlords. This goes right to the heart of the crisis of capitalism, the housing bubble, debt, speculation and austerity.
Thus as education and campaigns officer I will fight for socialist policies in the NUS and labour movement. We need a socialist government which invests in public, social and high quality housing for all students and workers.
Vote Stella #1 for Education and Campaigns Officer!
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