UCL Students Take a Stand Against 'Soaring' Accommodation Prices

Under pressure from what they believe are 'soaring' accommodation prices, 150 students at UCL have gone on strike and are withholding rent payments until their demands are met.

The action has been organised by the university's Cut the Rent campaigners, who are seeking a 40% cut in rents for university owned student accommodation. They claim the students protesting today will be witholding a collective £250,000 in payments.

UCL has reacted to rent protests in the past with threats of expulsions and evictions. However, the action does follow a protest last year that led to 87 students earning £100,000 in compensation from UCL after living in accommodation which was in their words 'unacceptable'.

It's no secret that student accommodation (and indeed non-student accommodation) in London is priced well above the national average. Yet while large premium developments designed for the higher end of the market often take the headlines, the plight of the less economically fortunate student is rarely addressed. In London, now more than ever, affordable accommodation is becoming harder and harder to find.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Creative Commons