Warwick’s Welfare Officer refused to vote at the Student Accomodation Awards

Chloe Wynne, Warwick SU’s Welfare Officer, along with a panel of 10 judges, is boycotting the Student Accommodation Awards this December, because none of the nominees offer affordable accommodation.

The panel wrote an open letter stating their grievances at the price and standard of student accommodation offered by the nominees in the category of “Student Experience”.

The students, invited by the publication Property Week, outright refused to select a winner, and instead wrote an open letter to the organisers, highlighting the ongoing issue of university rent.

The letter wrote: “Unfortunately, none of the entrants could demonstrate that they are meeting the urgent need of students to live in accommodation that will not force them into poverty.”

They concluded: “Unless all students have access to safe, affordable accommodation at every institution and the means to pay for it, there is no cause for celebration, nor the ability for us to award a for-profit sector failing so many of our peers.”

The organisers said that whilst they strive to produce the best environment for students, the “student judges have sent a clear message that the industry needs to do better.”

Chloe Wynne wrote on Facebook: “I was proud to be part of a group of student representatives this week who, when invited to judge private student accommodation awards, declined and used it as an opportunity to protest the inflating costs associated with student living.”