Idea

Accommodation advertising.

by Deleted User 04 April 2017, 16:33

Category: Accomodation

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The DSU today provided advertising space for yet more luxury student accommodation in Durham (https://www.facebook.com/durhamsu/posts/1616576285037911?), under the guise of "showing students all the options available" in the student housing market and claiming "The money that we make from advertising can also be put back into campaigns which help us to tackle the University's accommodation fees"

If it's important to show all available options, why are the luxury options the only ones to whom the DSU gives air time? If it's important to show students all the options, why has the DSU posted a solitary accommodation advert this academic year? The DSU signed off the last academic year by allowing Chapel Heights (another luxury accommodation option) an afternoon on the DSU balcony giving away free doughnuts. 

The DSU claims to oppose spiralling accommodation costs but continues to promote companies which drive up the prices of rent in Durham. If luxury companies are charging £120 minimum a week (and that really is a minimum), other agents can get away with charging £95-£100 (which is ludicrous for the North East) because they're all of a sudden a 'cheap' option. 

The DSU literally posted today about how Lisa Whiting met with Roberta Blackman-Woods MP and discussed skyrocketing rents, whilst simultaneously promoting the companies which cause rents to skyrocket, it's farcical.

And as for the whole advertisement money being used for campaigns to combat high rents...
"The money from arms sales will be used to campaign for peace"

Essentially, if the DSU does truly oppose high accommodation fees, it should not be actively promoting companies which drive up living costs in Durham. As such, I feel the DSU should put its money where its mouth is and refuse to allow luxury accommodation advertising space on the DSU's social media pages, and within Dunelm House.

Comments

  • Default avatar
    Deleted User   wrote, 05-04-2017 - 13:25

    What evidence do we have that it is luxury accommodation which is pushing up other rents in Durham?

  • Default avatar