Union Council votes in favour of new rent proposals

Students present at Union Council this week voted in favour of new rent proposals, which included lowering the suggested rates for the new student accommodation based in Acton. The new hall, now named Woodward, will open next academic year; students will face a commute time upwards of thirty minutes to get to campus.

Students sitting on Council were asked to choose between three different proposals for future rent prices of all student halls, with one being the rent prices that are currently in place as suggested by College.

All proposals had to ensure that the average rent for a room across all halls is £166 a week for a 39-week contract, but two out of the three reflected a higher price in halls closer to campus to average out a lower price for rooms in Woodward.

College had previously suggested that hall prices in Acton would average £158 a week, but after discussions between Imperial College Union President Tom Wheeler and Muir Sanderson, the Chief Financial Officer of College, it was suggested by Imperial College Union that the cost be brought down to an average of around £120 instead. This does not include the travel costs students will have to cover to get to and from the South Kensington campus.

However, for this average to come down to £120, other halls nearer to campus would have to see a rent hike as a result. This included increasing the average rent of a hall in Eastside to £215 from £191, and for Southside, increasing it from £174 to £200. Wilson will see a slight decrease from £153 to £150 a week on average.

A union spokesperson was keen to highlight that this does mean there will be more affordable accommodation across the entire portfolio – although, since the average price of rent on the whole doesn’t change from £166, it won’t mean that accommodation has got any cheaper in general.

Wheeler also pointed that these are just averages, and there are still major discrepancies between room prices even within the same hall. Some halls contain up to four price brackets, making hall pricing a complex topic.

He also pointed out that there is a preference for cheaper accommodation in general, but due to the nature of South Kensington, reducing the prices of halls near campus is difficult.

Debra Humphris, the Vice Provost (Education) was present at the meeting, and was keen to stress the College’s commitment to “increasing transparency” when it comes to hall prices. Humphris commissioned the Residential Experience Review back in 2013, to investigate the quality of accommodation, and how accommodation can be improved.

She also warned however that there are no straightforward answers when it comes to balancing rent and hall provisions: “We can’t give you cheap [rooms] and also give you Eastside.”

According to Wheeler, College currently has no data that shows whether students would prefer to live close to campus or pay less and live further away. The Residential Experience Review, run by College at the end of 2013, did investigate whether students would like to pay less for rent or live closer, but as separate issues. Unsurprisingly, students answered that they would like to have both options, but there was no way to cast a preference between the two.

The paper discussed in Council covered a number of topics concerning rent prices and hall usage. It also included a breakdown of rent, showing the costs for cleaning, maintenance, facilities management, and wardening.

It was also hinted by Humphris that there may one day be halls at Imperial West too, although it is “still early days”. Imperial West is the new campus based near White City, which is still under development. It will house new chemistry facilities.

Humphris stressed that they are committed to ensuring all first year students have the opportunity to live in halls. “If we are to achieve our first year guarantee, we need clear plans.

“It is still early days but we need to re-evaluate our portfolio. There is a large residential tower [at Imperial West] there, and that could also be used for accommodation for our staff.”

Wheeler said to Felix after the meeting: “It is fantastic that as a result of our lobbying and campaigning we have secured lower rent for over 1,000 future students with the new approach to College accommodation. “It is indicative of the improved relationship that we now have with College that we are being given these figures, let alone that we are engaging on these difficult decisions.”