Student Union President Andrew Kinnell has this month launched his campaign for fairer student rents.
This Campaign for Fair Student rents hopes to press Stirling University to lower the prices of their student accommodation.
Student accommodation provided by the university has seen a significant price rise in recent years. The newly constructed Juniper Court costs the equivalent of 105% of a maximum SAAS loan.
Andrew Kinnell’s campaign for lower student rents was a key part of his election manifesto, he said recently that “my main election pledge was to argue for affordable rents. In order to make sure this argument is seriously listened to however I cannot be left up to make it alone.
The campaign for Fair Rent hopes to get as many students as possible involved in the argument; collectively our voice is a powerful one”
Kinnell goes on to say:
“We at Stirling Students’ Union believe that education should be accessible to all regardless of socio-economic background. Stirling has a proud history of being accessible with many of our students coming from working class backgrounds.
In order to maintain and expand our accessibility we must make sure University is affordable- but when rents cost 105% of maximum loans there is a danger that some people may be priced out.”
The campaign looks to galvanize students through an online petition, with the eventual aim to present the list of signatures to the Rent Review Group – a university body which recommends rent prices for the next year.
The group is expected to meet in the second semester of the year, and Student President Kinnell hopes that the petition will receive ‘overwhelming’ support.
You can sign the petition here.
And for any more information you can get in touch with Andrew at president.union@stir.ac.uk or @stir_president on Twitter.
[…] has been a contentious issue for some time, being a major factor in student elections for years now and sparking protests on campus when Union negotiations with the University have […]
[…] the Rent Review Group’s offer is clearly not an improvement for everyone. As Brig reported back in October, rent for the new Juniper residence already equated to 105% of the typical student loan – and […]