Bristol, Cut the Rent call for a rent strike

By Laura Reid, University Management Correspondent

The group have called for the strike after Bristol University did not respond to their 600 signature petition.

Bristol, Cut the Rent handed in their demands for action against high rent on 27th February during a demonstration outside Beacon House.

The university failed to respond by the 8th March deadline, and the society have called a rent strike to 'pressure the university into listening'.

The petition was signed by over 600 students and included Bristol, Cut the Rent's five key demands:

• 50-50: 50% of all beds at 50% of the maximum maintenance loan by next year.
• Affordable rent: Commit to reducing rent so no halls exceed 35% of the maximum maintenance loan (£72 a week or less) by 2022 in line with Shelter’s definition of affordable housing.
• Emergency housing: Provide more easy-access, free and long-term emergency housing for those facing homelessness and unsafe living conditions.
• Bursary increase and reform: Provide an increase in bursaries and change the criteria to not include means-testing and a postcode lottery.
• Transparency: Publish termly budgets of the running of university accommodation and increase transparency for rent payment schemes (e.g. advertising the option to pay in monthly instalments).

The coalition of students are committed to tackling the inflated cost of Bristol's university accommodation, where the average rent is £161 per week as opposed to the national average of £131.

You can sign up to their rent strike here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LIOR3kbvzS-TKA6X8e9RgYPqtPpauqo162bsXkpzZ9Y/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2J2kHDgzx8kyGglzwBKJhlH03_k-bABwuMkG_K1Zjm-Z_kGPF_8DbBTYY&edit_requested=true

Featured Image / Bristol, Cut the Rent