| £82.5m won for student communities |
| 23/03/2007 |
| This week the launch of the Lyons Inquiry Final Report saw a huge win for students and their communities (see the Press Release). Some of you will remember back in the summer when the following blog went up: Lobbying the Lyons Enquiry about Student Council Tax @ the Treasury. 22 students unions from around the country followed NUS and called on Professor Lyons – heading the Government’s review on council tax - to plug the problems students face. The first of these problems was that: Local authorities are supposed to be reimbursed by central government for student exemptions. However, the government works out the number of students in an area early in the year – often before students are settled into accommodation - leaving large numbers of students unaccounted for and lots of council tax exemption money not paid every year - about £82.5m a year for English authorities.
The submissions were followed by a meeting with Professor Lyons (also of the University of Birmingham and one of my former lecturers) in my dual role on the NEC and as Bugs President, leading a Housing and Accommodation campaign “for a safe, secure, affordable home for every student.” We were able to talk to his Inquiry Team about Student Council Tax, the date for calculating the numbers of students in an area, therefore stopping the shortfall for local communities and overcoming the current postcode lottery for Postgraduates. I am very please to announce that we have been listened to us! The report has recommended: Recommendation 7.5 The Government should ensure the grant system reflects realistic data on the number of student households exempt from council tax in their areas. This should be done in time to inform the forthcoming negotiations on three-year settlements. This means an extra £82.5 million extra for local communities where students live over the next three years. The recommendation is num 7.5 and can be found on page 245 of chapter 7 or in the summary list of recommendations. Thank you to every students union that joined our lobby and NUS and Bugs for vital staff support in making this real win for students. Please see the press release Veronica and I have issued today: - - - - NUS fends off attacks on students’ council tax exemption, and welcomes new funding for communities Commenting on the release of the Lyons report yesterday (22 March 2007), NUS spokesperson Richard Angell said; “NUS is extremely pleased that the Lyons report has recognized NUS’ fight to maintain students exemption from council tax - a vital concession to students, the majority of whom are struggling with some form of debt. “We are also pleased that Michael Lyons has listened to NUS’ concerns about the longstanding £82.5 million funding shortfall for communities in which students live. This has led to some communities feeling short-changed after the Tories implemented student council tax exemptions on the cheap in 1992. “The current government contribution to areas with large student populations is often based on a fraction of the exempt student households in an area, meaning that local councils do not receive the right level of government grant and local services are starved of resources.” NUS Vice President (Welfare) Veronica King continued: “We wholeheartedly support any moves to rectify the current funding shortfall by collecting accurate data. This extra funding will make a massive difference to local communities. “Students do not want to be seen as a drain, they want to be seen as a part of any local community, contributing to the economic and social prosperity of the area. “NUS wants to see communities receive fair council tax revenues that will lead to strengthened services that both they and the student population can use.” ENDS For more information, or to speak to Richard or Veronica, please contact the NUS Press Officer, on 0207 380 6604 or pressoffice@nus.org.uk
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