York uni: no shops, no reception, no security, no bus – paying more for less
Louie Nardini, University of York Socialist Students
We kicked off freshers with door knocking at Halifax College. This is an underfunded part of the university. Over years it has been deprived of its Nisa, its local reception, and its bus stop. Students coming back from a night out or shopping now have to walk 15-20 minutes back home through a darkly lit alleyway, with no proper lighting.
During the muddy times of the year, the alley becomes impossible to walk down. The bus company, First, which made millions of pounds in profit last year, says it can’t afford to put a bus stop at the college.
But Halifax is the largest college at the uni, with over 1,000 students. The cheapest accommodation here is St Lawrence Block – HMOs (houses of multiple occupancy).
The rent has gone up
You share with 20 other students, with only one proper kitchen, four toilets, and four showers. The rent went up this year from £99 a week to over £150 a week.
Halifax College was even gifted by Lord Halifax to be cheap and affordable accommodation for students. Not anymore!
This is nothing new in the University of York. The amount of accommodation that is less than £200 a week has shrunk from 47% to 15%, just in the past year. All while tuition fees are rising. We are getting less and less out of our education, while paying more and more.
We got 37 signed up for Socialist Students. And we’re going around the rest of the college and uni this week.
These pressures on students are only getting worse. We hope that the 20 November walkout builds the breadcrumb trail to fight against this cost-of-living crisis, and push forward socialist change for students and young people.
Sheffield Hallam – students worry about future and cost of living
James Hooper, Sheffield Hallam Socialist Students
Speaking to students during freshers week, we heard time and time again, that their biggest worry was their future after university, and the hefty cost during it.
The government wants students to take on a generational amount of debt for an education that only garnishes the pockets of the bosses and the landlords of the city. The University and College Union (UCU) is taking ongoing industrial action against ‘voluntary’ redundancies, cutting some departments in half.
We had a powerful reception from students, getting details of nearly 80 who are interested in attending meetings. During our first two socials, we spoke about the 20 November walkout, the rise of the modern far right – Sheffield had a far-right march that week – and how students can fight for better conditions during our education.
Birmingham building youth walkout and backing bin strike
James Taylor, Birmingham Socialist Students
Socialist Students had a campaign stall every day of freshers week. On each day, several students walked straight towards us, having arrived at the University of Birmingham actively searching for a socialist group to join.
Over 200 students, and some staff, wrote down their names to be contacted and updated on our activity. We gave out more than 2,500 leaflets.
A layer of students have been inspired and disgusted by the events of the last year. The election of Zohran Mamdani in New York, and the rise of the Green Party in the polls.
But also the Iran war and victories of far-right parties across Europe. Tuition fees and the cost of living came up repeatedly in conversations with students.
Our action-focused approach attracted these people to Socialist Students over other campus groups. Our involvement in the Birmingham bin strike, and building the 20 November youth walkout, excited students ready to get involved and fight for socialism.
We got a good amount of students along to a casual meet-and-greet on campus, and hopefully we will be joined by even more of the 200+ contacts at our first proper meeting of the year this week.
York St John – my first time campaigning
Tamsin Allanson, York St John Socialist Students
This was the first time I’ve ever done anything with Socialist Students. And it was my first time ever helping out at a campaign stall.
I was nervous at first. For the first hour or so, I mostly kept quiet.
But as the day went on, I really settled in. I watched how others were campaigning, and ended up having conversation with passersby myself. It improved my confidence to do similar things in the future.
People were really receptive. We counted 39 sign-ups at the end of the day.
Queen Mary, east London – Climate crisis, AI, and war
Luca, Queen Mary Socialist Students
Students agreed with our grievances against the new nearby AI data centre, our previous campaign winning gender-neutral toilets and changing facilities at Queen Mary, safe and affordable housing, and protesting the government’s complicity in genocide in Gaza.
We had two campaign stalls on each day of the freshers’ fair, collecting more than 80 contacts. Students asked ‘what is socialism’, how data centres impact communities, and about the climate crisis.
We held discussions on both days at a nearby café. There, students expressed interest in participating in rallies, campaigns, and discussions about political theory.
Our first meeting was ‘Climate crisis, AI, and war: what is the socialist solution?’ 12 attended, 8 new faces.
We discussed action, we planned for what next. Students were very enthusiastic about contributing.
USW Trefforest – we’re gonna need a bigger room
Students are calling for a change. And at the University of South Wales (USW) freshers’ fair, they are turning to Socialist Students in dozens for that very change. At the University of South Wales,
Socialist Students attracted the interest of 173 students at the freshers’ fair. 14 came to our first Socialist Student meeting.
Socialist Party members also invited students to our local Rhondda Cynon Taff Socialist Party branch meeting, more than doubling attendance.
Cavan Griffin, USW Socialist Students
Leicester – enthusiasm into action
Adam Tyas, Leicester Socialist Students
Each day campaigning at the University of Leicester, the level of our activity grew. On the final day, we had two stalls, and a Socialist Students team walking around talking to students.
Leicester uni campus overlaps with WQE College. Over 150 students showed interest in Socialist Students and the ‘Fight for our future, not their wars’ 20 November walkout.
Although students supported us, the student union and university prevented us from leafleting the freshers’ fair queue, claiming that we needed to be an official formed society to do any activity. That’s what we were campaigning to do!
Young people are becoming increasingly politically conscious. Students openly identified as ‘communists’. Others declared that “we should have a revolution”.
What came through most strongly was growing anger at our futures being squandered by government after government, and a desire to fight for a society that works for us, rather than the wealthy.
Students showed particular interest fighting the climate crisis, and challenging the capitalist system that continues to put profit before people and the planet. Our task now is to turn that enthusiasm into sustained organisation and action on campus. We’ve organised four student meetings in the first week. And we’ve already been getting in contact with students who had signed up.
We need to build for 20 November youth strikes, and develop a proper Socialist Students society on campus. So the university has no excuse to stop our activity!
Pensioners back youth strike
Roger Bannister, North West Pensioners Association delegate
The North West Pensioners Association is composed of retired people, who are delegates from retired people’s organisations and trade unions, throughout the north west of England.
Whilst concentrating primarily on issues directly affecting older people, we are totally opposed to ‘divide and rule’. For example, being pitted against young people by government ministers in an ‘either/or’ squabble over cash and resources.
There is enough money to give pensioners a decent living in our retirement, and to give young people decent, free education, and genuine apprenticeships, with a job at the end, as well as jobs for new graduates.
So the following motion was carried unanimously by the North West Pensioners Association (NWPA) at our meeting on 25 September:
“This meeting notes that a recent meeting of youth organisations across Europe was held in Cologne, which included representatives from the British Socialist Students organisation, and that this meeting called for a Youth Strike to take place across Europe on 20 November 2026 in protest against war, youth unemployment, and austerity policies. This meeting supports this walkout and urges NWPA affiliates to support any rallies held locally, and to publicise our support in the local news media.”
