Rent Strike Update

Background

Many people are now familiar with the background to the current rent strike. Following the confidential Bursars’ Report last year, most Cambridge Colleges decided to raise their room rents significantly over a period of up to six years. The Report did not consider the implications for access arising from its proposals for rent rises, and the soundness of its methodology has been seriously questioned by CUSU and others.

In King’s a rent strike was called and the Access Alliance formed. Over 70% of undergraduates have withheld their College Bills and paid them into an account administered by the Alliance (now holding over £150,000). Several other Colleges have followed suit, and at least two more are set to do so.

Negotiations began in November, with the Alliance proposing that:

• King’s should keep student charges competitive with those at comparable universities.
• King’s should establish a policy for determining rents other than the Bursars’ Report.
• There should be a moratorium on further rent increases in King’s until the access implications had been fully investigated.
• King’s should publish a full breakdown of its costs in providing student accommodation, and produce more transparent general accounts on request.

Where we are

Over Christmas, a comprehensive survey of the top twenty ex-London universities was produced, using data both from the PUSH university guide and from prospectuses. The report will soon be available on the Access Alliance website, and shows that the proposed rent increases will take King’s, and Cambridge, to substantially above the national average. This is consistent with previous data from both CUSU and NUS. It is becoming increasingly difficult for College, or anyone, to claim that we do not have the necessary information on comparability of fixed costs.

The Bursar and the Senior Tutor are working on a paper for Council (presented to the Alliance Exec less than 48 hours ago) that they hope will end the current rent strike. We are still discussing the paper with them, but certain key issues have been provisionally agreed, subject to the approval both of Council and of the membership of Access Alliance. Other issues remain unresolved.

There appears to be some consensus on the following objectives for a King’s rent policy:

• The principle of comparability referred to above seems to have been accepted by College.
• We agree that King’s should aim to break even in the long run on its student accommodation.
• Rents should be set at a level to cover costs, provided that this does not damage access.
• College has agreed to inform students of the likely level of rent throughout their time here.
• It has been generally accepted that College needs to do more to increase efficiency and publicise hardship and access funds.

• Although it has accepted that the initial 8.3% p.a. + inflation rise was based on incorrect data, College still believes that a 6.5% + inflation rise is appropriate, and that it would not damage access. It remains to be seen whether College will review this decision in the light of the new report previously mentioned.

An agreement negotiated must be passed by a vote of the Access Alliance membership before the rent strike is called off. Any advice or comments that you may have at this juncture would be greatly appreciated. The next two weeks are likely to be crucial to the campaign.

All colleges are under enormous pressure to implement to Bursars’ Report, whether explicitly or by stealth. We will know very soon if the King’s authorities will reject it and make a stand for access.

Many thanks for your support. If you have any concerns then please do not hesistate to contact us.