UCL Cut the Rent and NUS call for rent strikes across the country

UCL CUT THE RENT CAMPAIGNERS, MEMBERS OF THE RADICAL HOUSING NETWORK AND THE NUS CAME TOGETHER TO CALL FOR NATIONWIDE RENT STRIKES.

UCL Cut the Rent made a surprise appearance at the NUS Student Media Summit at the headquarters of Amnesty International UK today. They appeared at a press conference alongside Ben Beach, from the Radical Housing Network, and Shelly Asquith, The NUS Vice President (Welfare), to announce that they would be holding a weekend of workshops aimed at encouraging students from across the country to take direct action against their university.

Annabel Bennett, who appeared as a representative of Cut the Rent commented “The aim of the rent strike weekender is not simply a ‘how to’ on launching rent strikes, but seeks to collectively build a nationwide campaign”. This call for nationwide strike action against universities by the NUS comes after a series of victories by UCL Cut the Rent. In June UCL committed to a freeze on rents in accommodation run by UCL and set up an accommodation relief fund worth over £1,000,000 in order to aid students who are struggling to pay for accommodation.

When asked about how many people they hoped would attend the rent strike weekender Shelly Asquith said “Uhh… Lots of people”. She also stated that the weekender would be part funded by the NUS and the Radical Housing Network and that they were reaching out to student’s unions for funding as well.

The call for rent strikes by the NUS comes as part of a larger campaign against student debt. Research published yesterday by the NUS stated that a student undertaking a three-year undergraduate degree can see students borrowing up to £53,000, and they claim this leaves current students facing “…a lifetime of debt and precarious employment”. The NUS suggested that in order for student accommodation to be affordable 25% of all bed spaces be offered at 50% of a student’s maintenance loan.