The Priority

The Context:

One of the issues students have raised through Forum was around the cost of laundry on campus. To some, it may seem like a small expense, but for students the overall cost throughout an academic year can significantly add up, especially when students have competing costs to prioritise. 

Jadelle, President Falmouth, has sat on the Accommodation Liaison Group for the past two years, and throughout this year has raised the issue of laundry costs on multiple occasions, and has worked closely with FX Plus to understand the current situation and identify opportunities for change.  

What have we achieved this year?

Key Outcomes:

One of the first actions for those who sit on the Accommodation Liaison Group was to compare out on campus laundry prices with those at other universities. This work has helped build a clearer picture of how our prices compare with elsewhere and whether students here are receiving fair value. After the comparisons, it was apparent that our on campus prices are on line with those across the HE sector.  

FX Plus investigated when the contract with Circuit Laundry is due to end, which is in 2027, so the SU has highlighted the need for a full review closer to the end of the contract. This would provide an opportunity to assess whether the current arrangement remains the best option for students. It has also been requested that the contract with Circuit Laundry is made publicly available, so students are able to look to better understand the terms of the agreement and how decisions are made regarding pricing and services.  

Alongside this, on the back of the Accommodation Liaison Group, the Accommodation Team looked into other laundry providers that other universities use. Understanding what alternatives exist would help ensure any future decisions around the providers of laundry on campus, however, the findings were that the most common providers for universities were Circuit Laundry and one other company.  

Through her conversations with FX Plus, Jadelle has gained information on how much is generated through laundry across university accommodation each year. This is an important part of understanding the overall system and assessing whether students are in fact receiving value for money. On the back of this, Jadelle questioned where the money the money from laundry is spent. While some information was provided, the explanation lacked the detail needed to fully understand how or where the money goes to benefit students. Greater transparency is needed here so students can see exactly where their money is going.  

While the SU will continue to push for long-term improvements, there’s also been work to support students facing laundry costs through the hygiene station that was set up through Jadelle’s personal priority. Students had access to essential laundry products, helping to reduce some of the financial pressures associated with keeping clothes clean and maintaining everyday hygiene.  

To help support the incoming Officer team, we’ve begun work to have conversations with students in sports clubs to gather information about laundry spending whilst living in university accommodation. The aim of this is to find out how much students are spending on laundry to keep their sports kits clean and ready for training, games or competitions. We want to better understand the additional costs faced by students who participate in SU sports clubs and ensure that laundry costs are not becoming a barrier to involvement and a sense of belonging.  

What's Next?

While this will be a long term piece of work, as a union priority it will remain within key discussions for the incoming Sabbatical Officer team. 

Want to get involved? Here's how:   

1. Stay Updated: Instagram   

1. Make a change: Submit a proposal on Make A Change   

1. Take Action: Vote on proposals through Make A Change or make your own proposal! Talk to your reps, whether that be reps from your course or your SU Presidents - Find My Rep , Presidents. Come to Student Forum, where we discuss ongoing priority work and vote in proposals to either be actively worked on with allocated budget or worked on amongst other issues! If you want to see something changed, why not come have your say?    

Questions or ideas? Get in touch via email at presidents@thesu.org.uk or drop us a message on Instagram - we'd love to hear from you!