Commenting on the survey, Dr Diana Beech, CEO, London Higher said:
“Despite holding the mantle as the world’s best city to be a student, London risks becoming inaccessible to large swathes of UK students as maintenance grants fail to keep up with the capital’s rising rental costs. In an era of student choice, insufficient maintenance support risks prohibiting some students from considering London as a realistic study destination and, those who do, are faced with balancing their studies with part-time work to meet their living costs. While the current maintenance package doesn’t work for London, London’s universities can’t serve those students who stand to benefit from the lifechanging skills and opportunities they provide.”
Dr Richard Boffey, Head of AccessHE at London Higher added:
“If universities are to step up their civic and community role, as government has recently asked of them, then we must accept that students and higher education providers are part of their local communities and have a legitimate voice in local planning and placemaking. As this new HEPI-Unipol report makes painfully clear, however, it is private sector profit motive and not the interests of local students that drives the cost of student accommodation in London.
As a result, there is a growing disjuncture between the cost of student accommodation in London and the student maintenance system. Incredibly, the average cost of accommodation for London students now outweighs the maximum annual maintenance loan to which these students are entitled. It should be little wonder that they are increasingly opting to live at home or take on excessive part-time work around their studies to make ends meet.
This situation must urgently be addressed, and the report makes some sensible calls to action, relating in particular to improving the provision of information to prospective students on accommodation costs and changing maintenance entitlements. But these reforms in isolation will not create a housing market that works for students. To achieve that, we in London HE must do all we can, working in close partnership with local authorities, accommodation providers and the GLA, to secure an increase the supply of affordable housing in the capital.”
