Rents On The Rise Again
Oxford colleges are once again embroiled in debates over rent rises as it emerged several are planning significant increases above the Van Noorden Index. President of the Student Union John Blake has slammed the plans, criticising colleges for exploiting a ‘captive market’. The inflation index is this year estimated to be around 4.5 per cent. Some colleges, however, have planned for much higher increases.
St Peter’s has decided upon a raise of between four per cent and five per cent above the Van Noorden Index, meaning students could be faced with a 9.5 per cent rent hike. As reported in The Oxford Student last week, Queen’s College will be facing a rise of 9.4 per cent over the Index, leading to a potential increase of nearly 15 per cent. Other colleges are locked into fixed contracts. Three years ago St Hilda’s students agreed to a fixed eight per cent increase over four years.
Magdalen JCR last year accepted an increase over the Van Noorden Index of 34 per cent over three years. The index was first devised in 1981 by Roger Van Noorden, an economics lecturer and Hertford College fellow. Its purpose is to calculate the degree to which rents should increase, taking account of rising scouting costs and the economic value of the rooms.
St Peter’s JCR President William Pearce supported the moves, stating the increase last year of only one per cent over Van Noorden, justified this year’s plans. Nevertheless, controversy has arisen over plans to increase food charges to students at the college. All St Peter’s undergraduates are expected to pay fees for three meals a day in hall.
Last year the college underestimated the amount students would eat, and as a result fees are rising to £306 for students living in, £230 for those in college annexes and £133 for second and third years living out. Blake was highly critical of the increases.
“Without the right to work in term time, and a reworked academic schedule that would make this feasible, and with a requirement to live in for at least one of your years in Oxford, the colleges have a captive market, which they insist on squeezing.
“If SCRs continue to drive up rents to fund bigger high table dinners, all the students will just move out … what becomes of [the college] community then?”
5th May 2005