Last updated: 2nd of March 2023

The cost-of-living crisis is having a devastating impact on our society, and the situation in the UK is overly dramatic.  

London has become the fourth most expensive city in the world: this means that the people living in the capital struggle to access basic services such as food, heating, or public transport. It is hardly a surprise that nearly half of the Londoners are facing serious difficulties living in the city. The situation is far from better for students.  

According to research carried out by the National Union of Students (NUS), 96% of students are cutting back because of the economic crisis. You can find the statistics of the survey HERE.  

We have set up a Cost of Living Working Group comprising both College and Students' Union (SU) staff to respond to the rising cost of living and improve support for students.

You can find out more about what we are doing on the University's webpage here.

What Birkbeck Students' Union is doing

1. Looking at the cost of food (on campus) and how we can make this more affordable for you
   1. The Students' Union worked with the College to set up a food bank from the 6th until the 12th of February.
   2. We are now in conversation to see if this could happen again or if we could set up something different.
   3. Microwave and kitchenette facilities have been installed in the Clore Management Building and the basement of 373 Euston Road for all students to use, ensuring students can have warm food while on campus.
       
2. Constantly working on providing top tips on how to save money
   We have published a news article on top tips on how to save money as well as an article on budgeting which you can find below.
    
3. Ensuring the content of your reading lists is accessible and that the library offers online resources
   We have discussed this with the College who have said they will follow this up with departments to encourage colleagues to base reading lists on resources that are available digitally as much as possible.
   In terms of the library, they will be offering the Kortext e-textbook and e-book package, but will also have individual e-book titles available and e-books within other packages.

Got an idea?
Email us at studentsunion@bbk.ac.uk or message us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and we will look into and do our best to make it happen!

 

Key resources