Nottingham will officially hold a referendum over NUS affiliation

Last month a petition circulated at Nottingham to trigger a referendum regarding our Student Union’s affiliation with the National Union of Students. Today, it was announced said referendum will be put in action – after the petition gathered over the signature threshold for it to take place.

The referendum will officially be held under the title: “Should the University of Nottingham Students’ Union continue to be affiliated to NUS”, and voting will run from 9am on Wednesday 1^st June to 12pm on Thursday 9^th June. The motion needs a total of 836 votes to pass, meaning leave campaign members will likely be feeling optimistic given the petition itself gathered over 670 signatures.

The petition at Nottingham was set up by Blake Purchase, a second year German and Politics student and General Secretary of Nottingham University Conservative Association (NUCA). Speaking to The Tab he said,

“The fact we have received over 670 signatures in favour of a referendum during the incredibly busy exam season, is testament to how students want a conversation about the current direction of the NUS and whether it still represents them.”

This announcement comes at a time of nationwide discontent with the NUS across various UK universities. Nottingham follows Oxford and Cambridge, as well as many others, in its decision to hold a referendum; after Lincoln and Newcastle cut ties with the union in the past two weeks alone.