Protests at Durham University due to an increase in student accommodation fees

Durham University students have protested against an increase in rent in regards to university-owned accommodation.

Durham University Students’ Union has stated that fees have continued to increase from approximately £4,854 in the year 2010-2011 to £7,171 following this academic year.

News of this comes following an earlier discussion in which Councillors refused to permit a private six-flat student accommodation for students, and amid growing speculation and criticism that too many students are renting in the private sector.

During the meeting it was suggested that there was ‘already enough’ university-owned housing in the city centre and that it was ‘starting to spread to the villages’.

Owen Adams, the university’s Pro-Vice Chancellor has stated that the increase in charges would cover far more than housing alone, and that students benefit from having been in a ‘unique collegiate community’ for the rest of their lives. However, Student Union President, Megan Croll, has said that a single bedroom now costs students more than a fixed mortgage repayment on a newly developed two-bedroom house in the area.

‘To many living in County Durham, they’ll look at those prices (over 30% of the average salary for the county) and get the message loud and clear, that Durham University, the world-class historic university and the centre of their city, isn’t a place for people like them,” she explained.

The university has said that although a rise in rent for university lodgings was previously proposed, no formal agreement was ever made, and that financial help is available for students from low-income households. It follows up by suggesting that fees paid include the running of communal spaces, social events and meals, and that it takes the concerns of residents ‘very seriously’.

At a meeting on Tuesday 12 June to discuss the application of the six-flat accommodation Councillor David Freeman said the university had a ‘limited interest in how students behave when they’re not living on their own accommodation in colleges.’

The Student Union said they will continue to fight for the ‘inclusive, affordable Durham that students want’.