York SU has launched its ‘Welcome to York: Housing Hell’ Campaign, calling for urgent action to tackle the student housing crisis in York.
From today, students will be encouraged to join the campaign through an email campaign targeting City Councillors and by signing open letters to the Universities and MPs.
Union Affairs Officer Lewis Parrey said: “The state of student housing in York is one of the biggest issues affecting our students. The combination of poor quality and high costs have created a student housing hell in York.”
University students are spending an average of £1,142 a month, an annual survey by Save The Student has found, leaving them with an average shortfall of £500 a month.
The National Student Money Survey, which has been run since 2013 by Save The Student, found nearly three in five students (59%) reported skipping meals at least some of the time to save money.
On top of this, York is the 3rd most expensive city for student renters, with a weekly cost of £206 for rent, according to StuRents.
Parrey said: “It’s time for students to stop accepting these living conditions and call for urgent action from those in power.”
The campaign aims to encourage much-needed action on student housing in York and asks stakeholders to commit to the following key demands:
From all:
Establish regular meetings, held by the council, with stakeholders (including the University’s and Students’ Union’s) to address student housing issues and develop a collaborative student housing strategy.
From the Council:
Reinvest income from housing civil penalties into student rent relief.
Actively lobby the government to devolve powers to implement rent controls.
From the Universities:
Introduce rent transparency for University accommodation to encourage the private sector to do the same, showing rent changes over time and a breakdown of rent costs.
Produce impact assessments of planned changes in student numbers/demographics on the student housing market.
Expand University housing advice provision and make it more visible and accessible.
The cost-of-living crisis in York has been negatively impacting students’ lives for the last few years, and remains a major concern amongst students. Over the past month, a poster campaign has circulated – in the style of a university poster – made by the York Student Action Network, who most recently arranged a protest against Jack Anderton’s presence at the University.
This movement clearly manifests students’ visible frustrations with the housing market in York.
In fact, over 50% of students interviewed reported that ‘tackling the cost of living’ should be a top priority for the SU in 2025. So we’ll have to wait and see if the success of this campaign matches up with York SU’s high expectations.