UUEAS Cost of Living Letter and Manifesto

UUEAS Cost of Living Letter and Manifesto

Published Mon 31 Oct 2022 12:49

Dear David,

On behalf of our members, we are writing today to present our ‘Cost of Living’ manifesto for this academic year ahead of its publication to our members next week.

We are deeply concerned, as we are sure you are, with the detrimental impact the UK’s economic situation is having on the students of UEA, and potential negative impact it is having on student well-being, attainment, and student engagement.

With inflation rising to record highs, student living costs have risen by 14%, compared to a 2.3% increase in the value of maintenance loans (Save the Student). In a survey of 3,500 students and apprentices conducted by NUS, 96% of students reported having to reduce their pending with nearly a third left with just £50 a month after paying rent and bills.

Both food poverty and period poverty are on the rise amongst the student community with 11% of students using food banks, a rise of 5% in under a year, and 10% of students saying they are unable to purchase sanitary products when required (NUS). 20% of students have reported to NUS that they are unable to buy toiletries.

As you’ll know the Student Union is the Trussell Trust’s food bank agent at UEA and we will continue to support students in this way. However, food banks are not the only answer to the problem, they are a product of a bigger issue requiring a holistic response.

In NUS’s ‘Student Cost of Living Report September 2022’ we found this quote from a mature student here at UEA particularly poignant -

‘‘As a single parent, mature full-time student that is classed as disabled, I rely on government support to supplement part time work and being a student. Due to receipt of maintenance loan, I receive no universal credit payment during term time and have to make ends meet by supplementing with part time work. Due to the costof-living increase, my bills have almost tripled and I am left with zero additional finance.”

Whilst we acknowledge there are national and international factors impacting the cost-of-living crisis, we believe that there are direct actions UEA can, and should, take. Therefore, we have created a ‘Cost of Living Manifesto’ with measures we believe UEA should undertake to help students meet this crisis along with our own commitment to support students with the current resources available to us.

Our commitment to you is that, where we are aligned with the initiative, we will work in partnership with the University and help with the distribution of resource and awareness building to support with the cost of living for students.

Yours Sincerely,

Evie Drennan - Activities and Opportunities Officer

Serene Shibli Sexton - Campaigns and Democracy Officer

Aaron Campbell - Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer

Taylor Sounes - Undergraduate Education Officer

Elise Page - Postgraduate Officer

Cost of Living Crisis Manifesto

1. What we believe:

a- All students deserve a good standard of living.
b- The English HE funding system for students is not fit for purpose.
c- Students are the forgotten demographic –not considered by the government when implementing National `cost of living’ schemes.
d- This is a challenging economic situation. However, the Union need UEA to meet this challenge without raiding student’s pockets.
e- Foodbanks are not the only answer to the problem, they are a product of a bigger issue – the rise in people needing to rely on foodbank for basic necessities is a damning reflection on this Government’s economic policies.
f- UEA is not just an educator, it is a community. Students are not just students, they are people. People need holistic support.

2. We call for:

Nationally –

a- United action across the student movement to fight for change.
b- Review the student maintenance support.
c- Tie student maintenance support with inflation.
d- Stress test all cost of living support schemes to ensure they work for students.
e- Reform Universal Credit to include fair access for students.
f- Cap student rent & accommodation to prevent a student homelessness crisis.
g- Provide funding to education providers to deliver improved hardship funds.
h- Adjust maintenance loan thresholds to reflect changes to family income.

Locally -

i- UEA to publish a clear tangible Action Plan how they will ease the cost of living on campus for students beyond current provision such as the Hardship Fund.
j- UEA Catering to review prices and provide hot meal options for students under £1.
k- UEA catering and accommodation for students to rise no more than the % rise of the Maintenance Loan.
l- UEA to provide free period products in all buildings on campus.
m- UEA to ensure that there are both study and social spaces on campus which are both warm and open late into the evening.
n- UEA to remove monetary fines as a disciplinary sanction.

3. We will:

We will continue our work both locally and nationally with other Student Unions to ensure students education is provided at the best possible value.

a- Lobby MP’s to ensure the UEA Students’ voices are heard and understood.
b- We will continue to be the University’s critical friend, fighting for the eradication of hidden course costs and holding UEA to account for its financial decision making.
c- Where we are aligned with the initiative we will offer our full support to UEA and help with distribution and awareness building to support with the cost of living for students.
d- Ensure our spaces are as open warm as possible.
e- We will keep Union House open for as late as possible with access to power plugs for students to use for free.
f- Ensure that our events are as cost effective as possible.
g- We will keep students’ finances at the heart of our event planning and always look to make our night time events as cheap as possible.
h- Water in the bars and LCR is always free and that there are always soft drinks available to buy that are cheaper than alcoholic drinks.
i- Union led Do Something Different events either; free, subsidised or at a low cost to students.
j- Provide support for students from widening participation backgrounds to access clubs and societies without finances being a barrier.
k- Continue to campaign for the end to period poverty.
l- We will continue to provide period products for free in Union House.

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