Key dates from my diary this month…

• National Council (Coventry)
• National Lobby of Parliament
• Newcastle Referendum
• NUS Services Board Meeting (NUSSL HQ, Macclesfield)
• NEC Meeting (London)
• Cardiff Referendum
• BYC Search Group Meeting (London)
• Compositing for Annual Conference
• Cardiff Referendum
• NUS Services Convention (Liverpool)

Right at the beginning of the month we had National Council in Coventry where we had a different format to usual. Council was supposed to discuss and approve the Estimates for NUS’ finances to go forward to National Conference, but for various different reasons this didn’t happen. The next day, the National Lobby took place at Westminster. There were a number of student officers there from around the country. I met with several MPs to discuss:
- student funding and the grim reality of top-up fees
- student housing
- Further Education student funding and funding for FE unions. In particular, I spoke to MPs about allocating a minimum level of funding to unions to encourage colleges to provide more support and resources to help their unions grow and develop.

I had a number of meetings in London, including an NEC meeting, compositing for National Conference and a meeting of the British Youth Council Search Group, which I chair.

I was busy with lots of NUS Services business this month. We had a Board meeting at NUSSL HQ in Macclesfield near the beginning of the month, and then the annual extravaganza that is NUS Services Convention in Liverpool at the end of the month. I was on the Steering Committee during the motions debates in the AGM which gave me the opportunity to assist delegates in explaining the democratic processes of NUSSL and how to get involved in the debate. The AGM overwhelming resolved to support a trial of the paid-for NUS Extra card, pending a positive vote at NUS National Conference. It also discussed topical ethical and environmental issues like NUSSL’s constructive engagement with Coca-Cola, and elections were held for places on the coming year’s Board and Committees. Congratulations to all those who were successfully and commiserations to those who weren’t.

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