► Welfare

This area deals with our role in protecting the welfare of our students. For example, providing help and support for students, offering housing advice to those that need it and ensuring that students' rights are heard and promoted.

For 2010-11 We have developed a policy on Accomodation Costs and we want your views on it:

University Accommodation

Summary

This paper discusses University Accommodation, focussing on cost, particularly rent increase.

Recommendations and Implications

• An above inflation increase in rent should be accompanied by an improvement in accommodation.
• The University should maintain their diverse price range.
• The Guild should be consulted during any discussions surrounding changes in rent.

Background and Current Challenges

Accommodation issues often form the bulk of the welfare-related problems students face. With a large proportion of first year students choosing University accommodation over the private sector, it is important to ensure that they are happy with the provision on offer. Overall, Liverpool is a cheap place to live however our students come from various backgrounds and so a diverse range of price options is essential.

Student housing is a growing market and so the University needs to be able to provide a competitive model in order to retain student numbers. The current financial situation has shifted focus onto value for money and so this must be reflected in University accommodation.

The University have increased rent twice since 2008/09 without any student consultation. These increases were accompanied by cuts to the services on offer to residents.

Main Findings

The University has a good range of rooms on offer including ones which come in at less than a student’s maintenance loan. This is very positive, particularly when taking into the account the growing issue of students being unable to afford accommodation with their current level of funding.

Consultation by the Guild in 2009/10 showed that students do not feel that a rent increase is justified in terms of what they are being offered.

The Guild has not yet been consulted about rent increases, despite a promise in 2008/09 that they would be.

Conclusion and Recommendations

We must maintain the diversity of the current accommodation offer, ensuring that students have a choice in rent prices and that University accommodation remains accessible.

We believe that the Guild is in a good position to provide input when decisions are made about accommodation. We would therefore like to be involved in the consultation process, particularly regarding rent increase. We believe this will also increase the transparency of University accommodation and allow students to understand where their money is going.

We understand that rent increases are inevitable, however we do not feel it is acceptable to expect students to pay more for less. An above inflation increase in rent needs to be accompanied by a better offer for students with a clear explanation of where their money is going.

Contact Us

What would you like to tell us about this policy?

The Guild

Hello and welcome to Liverpool Guild of Students!

As a University of Liverpool student, you are automatically one of over 17000 members of the Guild. We are run by 4 elected students, who are supported by staff and volunteers.

The Guild aims to make students lives better, through campaigning with you to make positive change and providing you with a huge range of opportunities to meet other people, gain new skills and have fun.