By Beds SU
Friday, 24 November 2023
We wanted to update you on the work we have been doing on behalf of students housed in Homes for Students (HFS) Polhill Park accommodation over the past few weeks.
On the 19 October we wrote an open letter to HFS outlining our concerns and the issues students at Bedford are living with and reminding them their obligations set by the Accreditation Network UK (ANUK) to carry out repairs and maintenance in a timely manner.
We then held a meeting with students in Bedford on the 23 October to discuss any issues they wanted anonymously raising. The outcome of these actions has been:
- We have shared all the student feedback we received, anonymously with the university and HFS.
- We have supported students living in accommodation that required immediate resolution in communications with the university and HFS management team.
- We have connected any student that has contacted us on this matter with our independent advice team so they can receive personalised advice.
- We are currently supporting students who consent for their personal details to be shared with HFS, liaise directly with them.
There is still more to be done in order to rectify the situation and so our next step is to hold a forum for students to put their questions directly to representatives of both the University and HFS.
We are holding this forum on Thursday 30 November between 5-7pm - Theatre, Campus Centre, Bedford and would love students from Polhill Park accommodation to join us.
In attendance will be the university's Interim Deputy Director of Facilities and Estates and the local Area Manager for HFS. Both parties have agreed to address recent matters, answer student questions and listen to students' views in order to manage and take on feedback for positive change moving forward.