Anxious students may soon be able to travel to collect their belongings from their rented accommodation after Alex received reassurances from the government.
Alex has been contacted by students worried about their possessions stuck in rented accommodation up and down the country. Previous guidelines stated that students should remain in place and wait until after lockdown to gather their belongings. As student’s tenancy agreements start coming to an end, waiting until an unpredictable date will not be a feasible option for many.
Furthermore, many students chose to remain in university accommodation when lockdown was announced, they need the option to return home to their families now if required. Alex Cunningham MP wrote to the minister concerned and submitted parliamentary questions to get answers from the Government.
Minister for Universities, Michelle Donelan responded “in light of [the government’s new guidelines], we are developing guidance on students travelling to and from student accommodation and this will be published as soon as possible. Meanwhile, we have made clear that we do not believe that students should be fined for failing to collect their belongings if this is the case because they are complying with the government’s travel advice.”
Alex said:
“It was unreasonable to leave students stranded in university accommodation or stuck without their possessions so this response from the Government is welcome. I hope to see the full guidance follow shortly.”
“Of the students who contacted me, many expressed concerns around leaving their possessions in rented accommodation for the whole of lockdown as its length is unknown and they were approaching the end of their tenancy agreements. The Government has been clear – these students must not be fined for being unable to gather their belongings because they are abiding by travel restrictions currently in place.”
“I look forward to reading the full guidance when published and hope it will ease the anxieties of the many students who contacted me.”