Palatinate The UK and Ireland’s Best Student Publication, 2021
Thursday 27th January 2022 | No. 847
Indigo look ahead to the Platinum Jubilee Interview: Royal Commentator Camilla Tominey
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Profile: Green leader and Durham alumna Carla Denyer
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Durham ‘saturated’ say local residents Lizzie McBride & Laetitia Eichinger Investigations Editor & News Editor As part of its ten-year strategy, the University plans to increase Durham’s student population from 15,000 to 21,500 by 2027. This plan is already in motion. John Snow College’s relocation from Stockton to Durham and South College’s opening for the 2020/21 academic year provided accommodation for 1,000 more students. Durham’s student numbers have accordingly risen from 15,479 in the 2016/17 academic year to 20,268 in last year. The existing pressure on the Durham rental market is wellknown. Data collected by Palatinate showed that rent prices increased this year. With a shortage of houses in Durham City’s centre, rent price increases are almost inevitable.One landlord described the problem as inching into Durham’s outskirts. “In certain areas of Durham, you aren’t allowed to have any more student properties.” “I think that’s probably the reason why house prices in the likes of Gilesgate and the surrounding areas are going up.” Palatinate spoke to a number of leaders of residents, associations, and local government to gauge the City’s perception of the existing and future impact of the University’s plans on Durham, especially in light of the recent approval for developers to replace Gilesgate’s Apollo Bingo Hall with private student accommodation. Richard Hornby, the Chair of the Gilesgate Residents’ Association, said the decision was a huge loss for the community. “The existing bingo hall is a valued community asset, and for those in our community who use it, it provides a much needed social opportunity, and a venue to relax, meet and make friends. “It cannot also be forgotten that this is a place of work for a number of local people, who are likely to lose their jobs with this development” Continued on Page 4
Staff check the compulsory negative Lateral Flow Test at the entrance to Castle’s college bar (Thomas Tomlinson)
Just 54 students followed University testing advice • Only 0.56% of student users followed “strongly advised” two tests a week last year • University spent over £580,000 over 2020/21 on often unreliable LFT programme Lizzie McBride Investigations Editor Only 54 students followed the University’s guidance to use a University testing site twice weekly in Easter term — making up 0.56% of the 9,621 students who participated in the testing programme last academic year. A Freedom of Information request by Palatinate revealed that despite consistent University messaging
for twice-weekly test, an average week would see just 4% following the guidance. Durham City had the highest Covid-19 rate in the country during the term, and, as this newspaper revealed in September, the University had spent over £580,000 that year to provide free testing to students. Even with the low takeup, the effectiveness of the LFT scheme has been questioned. In Michaelmas 2020, 38 of the 40 positive lateral flow
results received by the University term were matched with a PCR result, and just five were positive Prior to and throughout Easter Term, the University “strongly advised” students to take two Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs) a week while at University. In response to these findings, Durham University stressed LFTs have always been voluntary and that the University worked closely with student leaders in
communicating the benefits of regular testing. Participation in the “Wider Student Experience” — such as sport at the collegiate and University level, and visiting college bars — was also dependent on showing a negative LFT result from 48 hours prior. On any average week throughout Easter Term, 401 Durham students tested twice, just 4% of total users. Continued on Page 4