Nottingham Trent Students’ Union (NTSU) and the University of Nottingham Students’ Union (UoNSU) are working together to make sure that students are placed at the heart of Nottingham’s ground-breaking Student Living Strategy.
Launched on February 22, 2023, Nottingham City Council is consulting on a plan to ‘make Nottingham a great city to live, learn and grow in’, working with both Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and the University of Nottingham (UoN).
On behalf of the over 75,000 students they represent, the students’ unions are contributing their experience and voice to the consultation, and are encouraging all students to fill in the survey.
The three priorities of the Student Living Strategy focus on increasing the choice and quality of student accommodation, tackling antisocial behaviour, and building strong community links.
Benedict Wills, President of NTSU, stressed the importance of student input on the strategy.
He said: “It is really important NTU and UoN students have their voices heard in the Student Living Strategy.
“There have been so many issues with student accommodation for years and we need everyone to speak out and tell the council what they think.
“The student living strategy is setting out the council’s plans and does not fully reflect students’ real needs for the city.
“I would encourage all students to have a read and let everyone know what you think, as students are stronger together.”
Have your say on our Student Living Strategy
We're working with @TrentUni & @UniofNottingham to make sure:
✅There's enough quality student accommodation available
✅Impacts on communities are minimal
✅Students become valued community members
Read more – https://t.co/4vDUYmb9FJ pic.twitter.com/LmhTXtchui— 🏹 My Nottingham (@MyNottingham) February 22, 2023
Around one in seven residents of Nottingham are students, which has grown by almost 20,000 in the last seven years, placing additional pressure on the city’s housing and aggravating the problems with housing quality and affordability.
Data from the council’s soon-to-be-renewed additional licensing scheme show that almost 50 per cent of properties inspected don’t meet local or national standards, and 94 per cent of properties required some form of intervention.
The lack of choice driving up rent is also a huge problem for students, with a recent survey from UoNSU finding that nearly 10 per cent of students have less than £20 left each week after rent alone.
This problem is expected to get worse in the coming year, following the government’s decision to increase the maintenance loan students can receive by a mere 2.8 per cent, despite record inflation.
UoNSU’s Community Officer, Daisy Forster, said: “While this strategy is a step in the right direction, the council needs to recognise that many students don’t want to live in PBSAs [purpose built student accommodation] due to the lack of affordability.
“We would like to see more detail in the document as to how they will achieve their goals despite the lack of resources currently allocated to improving housing quality standards, and more consistent commitment to engaging with students throughout.”.
Everyone who lives in the city or is affected by the strategy can respond to the consultation, which closes on Friday, March 24 here.
You can read more about the students’ union’s response on the NTSU website.
Lead image: Rucsandra Moldoveanu