Bursar Admits: There IS a Rent Ploy
The Estates Bursars' Committee Chairman Ian Honeyman has admitted to the OxStu that an intercollegiate report on rents does exist and that it has been distributed to Bursars.
This latest revelation comes in a week which has seen several more colleges added to the list of those who are expecting significant rent increases, with the figure currently standing close to twenty. This supports the claims made in the OxStu two weeks ago, where it was suggested that college bursars were planning to bring in rent increases together
The Trinity JCR President, Sarojini McKenna, told the OxStu she was concerned that rent rises are not being determined according to the financial needs of individual colleges, but by political pressure on Bursars at the committee level. She pointed to "unprecedented increases at several colleges". In recent weeks JCR Presidents have increasingly suspected that a report recommending such action exists.
Honeyman said that although each college is an autonomous institution, they have always cooperated closely over such matters, and that the study is due to be presented to the conference of colleges.
He said that the study admits "if rents go up, there will be more students in need of financial help". Although Mr Honeyman claims that the study was distributed too late for most college's rent negotiations, he conceded that the latest rises could have been influenced by it.
Omar Salem, co-chair of OUSUs F&F Campaign, expressed outrage that the University had kept the report secret.
He said that there was no reason not to release it before the Conference of Colleges, and that he only found out about its existence a week ago through unofficial sources. He told the OxStu that the university "didn't even consult those that they [the rises] will affect most". Adam Turnbull, JCR President of Balliol, told the OxStu that his college plans to continue an annual rent rise of 5 per cent, with a steep increase for 2004 freshers. The increase is intended to raise £200,000, and a rough calculation equates this to a rise of 30 per cent in 2004. As the years pass, Turnbull expects the colleges' rents in 2009 to be around 55 per cent above current rates. St Hugh's is planning an increase of 27 per cent over three years, LMH £512 or 25 per cent over two years, and Hilda's 54 per cent over five years, according to OUSU. Sean Sullivan, OUSU's VP (Finance), told the OxStu: "If there is a concerted effort by the University to raise rents this is obviously detrimental to students and has to be acted against."
22nd May 2003