Pressure mounts on University to meet demands of the rent strike

Pressure mounts on University to meet demands of the rent strike

Emilie Robinson, Digital News Editor

The rent strike campaign shows no sign of easing its pressure on the University to agree a 30% cut of the rent, no-penalty contract releases and deposit refunds.

The strike, which began on 24 October, currently involves 1,400 students withholding over £2 million rent from the University, in reaction to the handling of Covid-19 in halls.

On 20 November the University’s Board of Trustees held a meeting, in which the rent striker’s petition was discussed.

That same day the University U-turned on its decision to use student’s bursaries to ‘offset’ outstanding rent payments after discussions were held with Bristol Students’ Union.

The University had said via an email addressed to first years on 19 November, that money would be deducted from ‘some, or all’ of student’s bursaries to pay for any rent owed by 26 November.

Oliver Bullbrook, a first-year student and one of the organisers of the rent strike, told Epigram the move to penalise bursary students ‘felt like a kick in the teeth.’

A University of Bristol spokesperson following the reversal of this decision had said ‘we apologise for the uncertainty this has raised and can confirm instalments will be paid in full to all bursary recipient on 2 December.’

Another development on 16 November saw students notified of a 10-day rent rebate for term one. Rent Strike Bristol considered this the first concession offered by the University to students.

Director of Student Life and Wellbeing, wrote in an email to students:

‘Rent rebates will be paid directly to your bank account during February 2021 if your rent account is fully paid up to the end of December 2020 by 1 February 2021.’

However, students striking were encouraged not to give in to this ‘tiny concession’ and Rent Strike, Bristol wrote in a tweet: ‘Keep striking, we’re winning.’

50 staff across all faculties signed a letter of solidarity voicing support for the student rent strike movement on 16 November, marking Bristol Cut the Rent’s Day of Action.

The letter was emailed alongside letters from students and the community of rent strikers to the University of Bristol’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hugh Brady, ahead of the meeting of the Board of Trustees.

Staff expressed their ‘hope that the University will respond positively and constructively to students taking action and commit to a positive resolution to the dispute’.

A formal response issued by the University following a meeting held with Cut the Rent on 3 November claimed that some demands had already been met.

This included ‘high-level commitments’ some demands, such as an option to request sanitary products on food box forms, and ‘greater transparency regarding the powers of security guards and how to submit complaints if this power is breached.’

On 23 November, the University, at the request of Rent Strike Bristol, published the powers and accountability procedure for the University’s security services on their webpage.

The University have also stated: ‘We do not make a profit from student rent and all accommodation fees are used for operating, maintaining, and improving the residences. This includes 24/7 pastoral and wellbeing support’.

Despite this, ongoing discussions with the University carry on and students continue to withhold their rent.

Rent Strike Bristol have encouraged all students to learn the powers of the security services in order to hold them to account should they need to.