Falmouth Town Takeover

Added on 04/02/2010

The Falmouth Town Takeover took place on 3 February involving students from Falmouth and Exeter Students’ Union (FXU) and across the south west.

It received some great coverage on ITV’s The West Country Tonight. Check it out now on ITV Player  

“Back us, or lose your seat in parliament. That's the threat from students who took to the streets in Falmouth to protest over plans for big increases in tuition fees. The National Union of Students says there are enough students in many marginal seats, such as Plymouth and Exeter, to swing the vote in the next general election.”

Bradford Students' Union Lobby Their MPs

Added on 01/02/2010

MPs are demanding student tuition fees are capped and a graduate tax introduced to allow more Bradford students to go to university.

Research shows that school-leavers living in parts of Tong are less likely to go to university than anywhere else in the country.

Only 3.72 per cent of youngsters in parts of the council ward, where more than half of households are on low incomes, made it on to higher education – the worst record in the country.

Keighley MP Ann Cryer and Bradford West MP Marsha Singh fear many are unable to go on to further education because of high costs.

Read more.

Voters sign the pledge.

MPs  sign the pledge.

Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance

Added on 27/01/2010

Public hearings

The Review will be holding public hearings as part of its first call for evidence on the 28th and 29th of January in Manchester and London. Below is a list of those appearing at each hearing.

Manchester - 28th January
Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP, Secretary of State for Education and Skills 2002-04
Wes Streeting, President, National Union of Students
Professor Steve Smith, President, Universities UK
Professor Lorraine Dearden, Programme Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies

London - 29th January
Sir Martin Harris, Director of Fair Access, Office for Fair Access (OFFA)
Richard Lambert, Director General, Confederation of British Industry
Professor Nicholas Barr, Professor of Public Economics, London School of Economics
Sir Alan Langlands, Chief Executive, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Pat Bacon, President, Association of Colleges
Martin Bean, Vice Chancellor, Open University

Hundreds of UCLan Students Sign Pledge Letter to MP

Added on 26/01/2010

The University of Lancashire’s Students Union were quick of the mark this term. Using the upcoming General Election as an opportunity to influence their MP on fees the union delivered to their MP a letter signed by hundreds of students. The letter asked Mark Hendrick MP to pledge not to vote for an increase in university fees in the election and to pressure the Government to introduce a fairer alternative.  

Union President Beth Woodthorpe-Evans said:

“I hope that Mr. Hendrick will already be aware how passionately UCLan students feel about this issue. If not I hope this makes him realise that this something close to our hearts.

“UCLan students have shown their solidarity and unity – for too long students have been seen as apathetic, this is clearly not the case.

“There is great strength in numbers, and we need to stand up and be heard. Students need to make sure that their thoughts and opinions don’t fall on deaf ears.”

On top of this, students are also being encouraged to sign up to electoral register and to make their vote count in the forthcoming general election. NUS is encouraging students across the country to vote for candidates who support the pledge.

• Register to vote

Plymouth Town Takeover

Added on 26/01/2010

The University of Plymouth Students' Union will be hosting their own Town Takeover Saturday 6 February. Students will be meeting at the Sundial in the city centre at 2pm to make their support for a fairer funding system known. 

The Union have organised a fun and creative session to start the day including face-painting and they are expecting students from the surrounding areas to get involved and demonstrate their opposition to an increase in fees.

Currently only 3 Plymouth candidates have signed NUS’ pledge; Stuart Bonar, Liberal Democrat PPC, Plymouth Moor View; Linda Gilroy MP, Labour, Plymouth Sutton and Alison Seabeck MP, Labour, Plymouth Devonport. The Pledge asks MPs to not vote for an increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the Government to introduce a fairer alternative.  NUS is asking students to only vote for candidates who sign up to the pledge.   

• For more information on their day
• Register to vote
• Sign the pledge 

General Election Resources

Added on 15/01/2010

The upcoming election will be one of the least predictable that we have seen in many years. Many pundits are talking seriously about the prospect of a hung parliament and which a huge turnover of MPs expected, These conditions make this is the best time to influence prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) and MPs on the issue of higher education funding.

There are around 7 million students in the UK – which means that students make up about 15% of potential voters, yet all too often politicians claim that students don’t vote, say that they are apathetic and use that as an excuse not to listen to students concerns and act on student issues.

That is why, as part of the work of both the Society and Citizenship Zone and the ‘Funding Our Future’ campaign, one of our main focuses will be to get students voting.

Resources for students' unions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – A look at the most frequently asked question on the General Election 2010 and NUS’ campaign to get students registered, educated and out to vote.

The term ahead - Wes blogs on the general election and the higher education funding campaign.

Get your students registered

Voter Registration: A Practical Guide – A practical step by step guide for students’ unions looking to run registration drives and recruit volunteers to help.

Get Students Registered (FE Version) - A guide specifically developed from Further Education students’ unions. This contains a lot of information on how you can get students registered to vote.

Get Students Registered (HE Version) – This guide looks specifically at how Higher Education students’ unions can get students registered for the election.

Educating your members

A Debate in Every Union Campaign Pack – A guide on how to organise a funding debate between MPs and Prospective Parliamentary Candidates ahead of the 2010 General Election.

Voter Education and Get Out The Vote Handbook – A handbook to help you educate your members and get them out to vote come election day.

The General Election and the Law

Campaigning and the BNP - This briefing outlines what you can and can’t do as an individual, a union officer and as an organisation to ensure that you are able to carry out anti racist and anti fascist campaigning legally.

Charity Law and Representation of the People's Act - This briefing is to help you to maximise the impact that you can have while preventing you and your union from being open to legal and financial penalties.

No Platform Policies and Students' Unions  - This briefing explains the policies, examines concepts of “free speech” and gives detailed legal advice on implementing a “no platform” policy in your union.

A Debate in Every Union Campaign Pack

Added on 01/12/2009

As part of the ‘Funding Our Future’ campaign we are putting pressure on prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) and re-standing MPs to sign up to the NUS “Come Clean on Fees Pledge”

The ‘Debate in Every Union’ allows each students’ union in the UK to organise and hold a key event that enables them to build in all parts of the campaign work that we are doing nationally.

This pack provides you with the information that you need to know to run your debate in your union as part of this nation wide action.

 A Debate in Every Union Campaign Pack