Societies face financial problems
It has recently come to light that the amount of money left for societies this year does not match the increase in demand.
The block grant that is allocated to societies totals £20,000, only £1367 of this remains. Existing societies have been allocated £14,624 whilst the total amount of money left aside for new societies is £500. The total number of societies has increased from 60 to 90 this year, meaning the amount of overall members has increased to 3,693, which is soon expected to rise over 4,000. This already surpasses the total amount of members from the end of the last academic year.
£2,000 of the total societies’ budget was earmarked at the start of the year for other purposes, including the Student Activities Dinner. This event is held to reward students that are involved in all areas of the Union not just societies.
Whilst this is is set to change in the near future, the fact remains that the budget for societies has not been increased enough to meet student demand. This year’s budget has increased by a total of £10,000 from last year as Aakash Naik, VP Societies this year, specifically campaigned for an increase in academic and cultural societies. However this increase still falls short of the required amount.
Aakash commented that to encourage a change in the budget students should be “more active”, adding that at the moment students “don’t feel empowered.” This is clearly a sign that those students in charge of societies need to continue to demand what they need to serve the purpose of their groups.
Although the Union cannot be expected to pay extravagant costs, societies are set to suffer from a lack of money; for example, the Photography society currently has one camera between about 90 members.
This year the Athletic Union (AU), which runs the Union’s sports teams, has a membership of 2,500 and a budget of £135,000. The AU also receives additional sponsorship from local businesses, along with money generated from the membership fee. They need this money to run and they get it because they are able to demonstrate the need for it. The running costs for the AU are significantly higher because the activities they run generally cost more than societies’ events. For example, the Swim team alone have to pay £8,733 for training facilities over the course of the year.
Societies must present their cases for funding so they can pressure the Union to increase their current inadequate budget. Steve Topazio, President of the Student’s Union, said that: “The five year plan for the Students’ Union includes an increase in societies’ allocation of 50% over 5 years.” He also added that: “The Student Union will always endeavour to provide adequate resources to allow societies to function.”
Although the Union cannot afford to pay for unlimited continual growth in the number of Societies, the amount of money allocated to them must reflect the growth this year.
