- London has 366,605 students, of whom 67,000 are international - bringing over £5.9 billion to London’s economy in 2011/12.[1] & [2]
- Average student rents in London were £157.48 per week in 2012-13, a rise of 26 per cent from £125.34 in 2009-10.[3]
- 57 per cent of all new student accommodation is in just four central London boroughs - unsustainable both in terms of rental prices and availability of land.[4]
In a letter to the Mayor of London, the cross-party London Assembly Housing Committee, calls for the Mayor to give a helping hand to ordinary families facing daunting accommodation costs for studying in the capital.
The Committee warns that the type of student accommodation being built is too focused on catering for an affluent market - and not enough on building accommodation affordable for ordinary students.
The Committee urges the Mayor of London to take action, so families can afford to send their children to London universities.
The letter also recommends that as the number of students living in outer London increases, Transport for London (TfL) could make fares for students cheaper.
Tom Copley AM, Chair of the Housing Committee, said:
“Preserving the social mix of London universities is essential and we are rightly proud of the fact that people from all around the world want to come to study here
London universities are national assets that help young people right across the United Kingdom.
The Mayor must take action to help students from ordinary families avoid being priced-out of the capital’s campuses and from realising their full potential in some of the world’s best universities.”
Notes to editors
Notes to editors:
- London First & PwC, 2015, London Calling: International students’ contribution to Britain’s economic growth
- Universities UK, 2014, The Economic Impact of the London Higher Education Sector, p.5
- National Union of Students, 2013, Accommodation Costs Survey 2012/13, p. 5.
- Mayor’s Academic Forum, 2015, Strategic planning issues for student housing in London: Recommendations, p.3
- The Mayor is proposing in his Draft Interim Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance that students with parental incomes of less than £42,620 will qualify for affordable student accommodation, set at £149 per week.
- Tom Copley AM, Chair of the Housing Committee, is available for interviews. Please see contact details below.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Ash Singleton on 020 7983 5769. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.