More Students To Support Rent Strike

By Christen Pears

  From The Cambridge Evening News, 29th Oct 1999

STUDENTS at Cambridge University have joined a rent strike to protest at increases which, they believe, will deter applicants from families with low incomes. Two hundred and forty students at King's College have been joined in their protest by 110 from Trinity College.

Students at Magdalene, Jesus and Fitzwilliam Colleges also voted to go on rent strike this week. The Government cut its subsidy to Cambridge last year because it felt that Cambridge could meet its academic goals more efficiently. Student protesters believe that university authorities have attempted to make up the shortfall by raising student rents.

Mat Coakley, chairman of King's Access Alliance, the group coordinating the rent strike at King's College, said: "If these rent rises had been pushed through six years ago, myself and many of my friends would not be here today."

More than 1,500 Cambridge students turned out on Saturday for a demonstration against rent increases. A spokeswoman for the university said: "The rent is quite a lot cheaper than other universities and the university feels that students get a good deal. A number of surveys by independent organisation have all shown that our rents are very reasonable."