University of Nottingham rent protesters offered 'support package'

Hundreds of students at the University of Nottingham threatened to withhold rent

A university has offered a "support package" to students after they threatened to withhold rent on rooms they could not use because of lockdown.

Hundreds of University of Nottingham students called for rents to be suspended when they were unable to return due to national restrictions.

Now the university has said support will be available to some students.

Nottingham Trent University (NTU), which has also seen protests, said it was awaiting further government advice.

• Latest news and stories from the East Midlands

As part of the package, the University of Nottingham said any students "who are not studying on a programme that currently allows them to return for in-person teaching and are not using their room" will not have to pay accommodation fees from the start of term on 10 January up to their return "or the projected re-start of in-person teaching" on 13 February.

However, students who study "courses that have been advised by government to return for in-person teaching" or those who return before 14 February "will be liable for their full accommodation fees".

Though the relief package only covers students staying in halls owned or leased and managed by the university, it said it was "liaising with private and third-party accommodation providers to see if they are able to support students in a similar manner".

'Fair for students'

Organisers of rent strike protests say about 15,000 students across England have pledged to withhold rent on university accommodation they cannot use during the current lockdown.

Students at NTU have called for no-penalty contract releases at halls of residence and for deposits to be fully refunded.

An NTU spokesman said the rent concerns "arise directly from decisions taken by government", adding Universities UK was discussing the situation with politicians "and we judge it is sensible to await the announcement of the government's position".

"The government needs to show leadership to find a solution that is fair to all students," he said.

"At NTU, only a minority of our students are in accommodation operated by or on behalf of the university.

"We do not want a repeat of the situation in the summer term of 2020 where most of our students were reliant on the goodwill of private accommodation providers who did not always do the right thing."

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].