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► Community

Students in the Community

As you may or may not have heard, the government are discussing proposals to introduce legislation that will allow them to control where students live! This cannot happen, it is no-ones right to decide where anyone lives; a community should be building, not segregating.

Here is an article from The Guardian which Joey Cozens-Smith our Union President appeared in this September. It highlights the consequences of poor perception of the student community.

This year the student body needs to be prepared to fight these proposals. If this legislation is agreed, what is stopping the government from segregating any type of demographic they choose.

Although there are certain issues with densely populated areas of students I think it is key to highlight that there are many benefits that these students bring to their local community.

It is our view that the proposed HMO planning legislation to control where students live would punish the students that contribute heavily to the community they are a part of. Students contribute in many ways; the most visible way is through the hours and hours of volunteering which helps improve the community and local economy they live in.

At Bath Spa University alone, in the last year we have had over 460 student volunteers work for over 70 local community organisations, including; Bath Area Play Project, Wellow Youth Club, National Trust, Stroke Association, Moorland School and the Percy Community Centre. The students have made a valuable contribution to these organisations. Furthermore, their efforts in raising and giving have totalled nearly £7,000 for the past year. These actions match volunteer provisions of larger and more established Universities across the country.

Additionally both the Universities in Bath are the highest contributor to the demographic diversity and culture that is brought to the city.

In different areas there are different issues that cannot, and should not look to be solved through national legislation. The development of local community has to come locally through discussion and compromise, ensuring that a community is building rather than segregating.

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