King’s Affair Committee to provide a full refund for ticket-holders, revoking earlier statement

King’s Affair Chair, Tom Ward, has emailed ticket-holders that “we can now confirm that we’ll be able to offer a full refund to all ticket-holders.”

This follows the statement previously issued by the Chair that: “As much as we would have liked to have awarded a 100 per cent refund, this simply hasn’t been possible”, and subsequently elicited disapproval from ticket-holders.  

The updated email stated that ticket-holders should now expect a full refund.

The King’s Affair Committee were able to rescind their earlier statement by securing a loan of £11,000 from King’s College Student Union; an agreement approved by an online referendum submitted to King’s students.

The motion posed the question: “In light of the current pandemic and subsequent cancellation of the King’s Affair, should KCSU extend a loan of £11,000 to the KA Committee, with the repayment conditions to be agreed upon by KCSU and the KA Committee at a later date?”.

The motion highlighted that the KCSU was the “preferable” creditor, as opposed to the college itself. It stated that the reasons for this were threefold: “a) Attempting to get a loan from College will likely take longer and delay refunds to ticket-holders. b) A loan from College will likely give them more influence over the KA finances. This contradicts the tradition of KA as a student-run event. c.) In other colleges, it is common practise for JCRs to underwrite the May Ball.”

A notable majority of 95.34% of those who participated in the referendum cast their votes in favour of the notion, with only 9 students dissenting.

The motion was passed with a significant majority.

Tom Ward spoke exclusively to the Tab, stating that, “The King’s Affair Committee are now pleased to be able to offer full refunds for all ticket holders – we have worked hard to enact this, and we firmly believe that the solution offers peace of mind both for ticket holders and the long-term sustainability of the event.”

He continued, “The result of today’s referendum, in which King’s students were asked whether or not King’s College Student Union should grant temporary access to reserve funds to facilitate the refund expenditure, with an overwhelming 95% in favour, clearly illustrates the desire of King’s students to ensure the longevity of the much-loved event.”

Ward concluded, “We thank all of our ticket holders for their continued cooperation and support.”

Cover photo: Power Photography