UEA plans to increase rents for campus housing, rising the cost of living in halls of residence across the board.

If plans go ahead accomodation fees on campus will rise by 3.4%[1] in the 2015-2016 academic year. However, none the estimated profit of £3m per year will be spent directly on university accommodation. Instead, this will be spread across the entire university budget.

These plans are unacceptable as they will result in an additional burden for already indebted students, posing threats to their wellbeing and their academic carreer. Education and living costs during education should be affordable for everyone and not for an elite minority. However, plans to raise accomodation fees on campus are a clear step in the latter direction and are making the university a space run for profit and not for the generation of creativity and critical thinking.

All of this has occurred without proper student consultation on the level of rent, and student representatives have been shut out of any reasonable discussions on rent levels, instead only being consulted on rent allocations.

Therefore, we the undersigned believe:

·      The rents for the academic year for 2015/16 should be frozen at the levels for 2014/15 and there should be no increase in the level of rent in university accommodation.

·      The Student Union should be brought back round the table for a proper discussion about rents for the forthcoming academic year and for the future.

[1] 3.4% is an average. Fee rises would mean next academic year each student would be paying between £122 and £340 (annually) more for accommodation.