Students at the University of Manchester have secured a 30% reduction in rent for the first semester, amounting to a £12 million payout.
UoM students living in university hall of residence accommodation will receive between £400-£900.
After two weeks of protesting, the group declared this “the biggest win for university rent strikes in UK history”.
Much anger was expressed by students regarding the lack support from the university during the pandemic.
In a statement published on the UOM Rent Strike Facebook page, student organisers alleged they had been “lied to and brought onto unsafe campuses, forced to pay insane rent for facilities [they] can’t access”.
In response to this, 15 students occupied Owen’s Park Tower, one of the university’s buildings, for two weeks.
The statement continued: “They brought us here for profit and made it very clear that they’re not on our side and plan to ignore us. So we’re occupying the tower until they respond.”
The university has stated, not only will they provide a rent reduction but also “more flexible accommodation agreements”.
In a statement, University of Manchester said they will provide: “better maintenance support”, “better study spaces’” while “tackling anti-social behaviour”.
The protest, and subsequent victory follows the tearing down of fences by students, which were erected without their prior knowledge around university halls.
The protest also follows a racial profiling incident on its Fallowfield campus. Video footage showed a 19-year-old student being pinned to a wall by three security guards, demanding to see his student ID.
The university acknowledged that this is a “serious incident” and that they were “deeply concerned by these images”.
As a result of the incident, calls for the resignation of the University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Dame Nancy Rothwell, #NoMoreNancy gained momentum.
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker Sunday may signal the final day of Truck Festival 2026, but there’s still plenty to celebrate before the gates close for another year. From rising indie stars Keyside to the long-awaited return of Rizzle Kicks, festival favourites Circa Waves and headliners The Wombats, these are the performances that define…
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker It’s Saturday at Truck Festival 2026 and, somehow, the sunshine is still holding out. The weekend’s biggest day is packed with indie heavyweights as The Vaccines, Kaiser Chiefs and Two Door Cinema Club deliver the soundtrack to a generation. In between the nostalgia, Adult DVD provide the perfect excuse…
Featured image: Lucy Elson-Whittaker After CMAT’s unforgettable set on Thursday, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Truck Festival 2026 had already peaked. But with the weekend only just getting into its stride, there’s still plenty more to come. Friday is packed with a lot of artists worth catching, from The Love Buzz and My First…
Featured image: Press The gates have finally opened for Truck Festival 2026, and for the third-year running, the weather could not be more perfect. Beneath clear blue skies at Hill Farm, Oxfordshire, the iconic Ferris wheel is spinning once again, the Truck Monster is roaming the fields, and thousands of festival-goers waste no time filling…
Leave a reply