Northampton students protest over rent and conditions

Students have staged a protest over what they claim are "appalling conditions and extortionate rent" at a university-owned block of flats.

The University of Northampton undergraduates said many St John's Halls flats lacked running water and working hobs.

Most residents paid £153 a week for single en-suite rooms, organisers said.

A university spokesman said it had "no record" of these "numerous complaints".

Supporters of the Northampton Socialist Students group gathered at the Waterside Campus on Thursday.

In a statement, a group spokesperson said students had "repeated the same complaints about St John's Halls year after year".

"Students complain of showers not working, poor heating and broken plug sockets. You have to question what the extortionate rent we're paying actually goes towards," the spokesperson added.

They also said many students felt like "they're living in a jailhouse" with "strict, outsourced security" and "guest restrictions".

In response, the university said: "[We have] no record of numerous complaints regarding fire doors, water pressure, lack of hot water or mould at our halls of residence or they would have been swiftly dealt with.

"Unless a report is made to us and evidence presented, we are unable to take action."

Regarding the rent, the university said it had apologised to students and paid them a refund for "an additional accommodation charge" that was caused by "an administrative error".

It said the rent from September 2023 had increased "by only 4%" which equates to "a £5 rise on the cost of a standard single bedroom".

The university spokesperson added: "We continuously work to avoid rent increases for university-managed accommodation and any revision of prices will be linked to inflation and the cost of utilities such as energy and gas which have risen exponentially since the start of 2022."

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