The governance of the National Union of Students , the organisation which is the main confederation of students' unions within the United Kingdom, has recently undergone radical reform. The article explains the background to the reform process and the current system of governance.
Debates over governance reform dominated the National Conference of 2008. Reform proposals were rejected in 2008 in a vote where 692 voted for the proposals and 358 voted against, but a two-thirds majority was required. [1] The Guardian characterised the reform proposals as 'Blairite'. [2] Critics of the reforms characterised them as an attack on the democratic structure of the organisation. [3] that would lead to a reduction in minority representation. [4] Supporters argued that the reform proposals would replace an outdated system of governance and lead to a more innovative corporate structure. Two extraordinary conferences were held to ratify the reform proposals a measure criticised as undemocratic given that there is no requirement for students unions to hold cross-campus elections for extraordinary conferences. [5] The first extraordinary conference was held in Leicester where the reforms passed. [6] The second conference was held in Wolverhampton where 614 delegates at the conference voting in favour of the proposals and 142 voted against them. [7]
The presidency of the National Union of Students is currently vacant. The other positions are vice-president higher education, vice-president further education, and vice-president liberation and equality. Each vice-president leads a distinct zone within the organisational structure of the NUS. There are also a president for each nation, the president for NUS Wales, the president for NUS Scotland, and the president for NUS-USI. [8]
| President | VP higher education | VP further education | VP union development | VP welfare | VP society & citizenship | VP liberation & equality | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2011 | Aaron Porter | Usman Ali | Shane Chowen | Ed Marsh | Ben Whittaker | Susan Nash | |
| 2011–2012 | Liam Burns | Usman Ali | Toni Pearce | Ed Marsh | Pete Mercer | Dannie Grufferty | |
| 2012–2013 | Liam Burns | Rachel Wenstone | Toni Pearce | Vicki Baars | Pete Mercer | Dannie Grufferty | |
| 2013–2014 | Toni Pearce | Rachel Wenstone | Joe Vinson | Raechel Mattey | Colum McGuire | Dom Anderson | |
| 2014–2015 | Toni Pearce | Megan Dunn | Joe Vinson | Raechel Mattey | Colum McGuire | Piers Telemacque | |
| 2015–2016 | Megan Dunn | Sorana Vieru | Shakira Martin | Richard Brooks | Shelly Asquith | Piers Telemacque | |
| 2016–2017 | Malia Bouattia | Sorana Vieru | Shakira Martin | Richard Brooks | Shelly Asquith | Rob Young | |
| 2017–2018 | Shakira Martin | Amatey Doku | Emily Chapman | Ali Milani | Izzy Lenga | Rob Young | |
| 2018–2019 | Shakira Martin | Amatey Doku | Emily Chapman | Ali Milani | Eva Crossan Jory | Zamzam Ibrahim | |
| 2019–2020 | Zamzam Ibrahim | Claire Sosienski Smith | Juliana Mohamad-Noor | Erica Ramos | Eva Crossan Jory | ||
| 2020–2022 | Larissa Kennedy | Hillary Gyebi-Ababio | Salsabil Elmegri | Sara Khan | |||
| 2022–2024 | Shaima Dallali (dismissed in Nov. 2022) | Chloe Field | Bernie Savage | Nehaal Bajwa |
The National Executive Council (NEC) is NUS’ interim decision making body between meetings of the union's National Conference. It comprises elected representatives and officers from each of NUS’ Zones, Student Sections, Liberation Campaigns and Nations as well as 15 individually elected members and the National President.
The 15 individually elected members are known as the "Block of 15". The Block of 15 is made up of 15 members, five of which are reserved for members of further education institutions. [9]
| National Executive Council – Block of 15 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2011 [9] | Lynne Brown† | Thea Graham† | Joshua McKenzie† | John Peart† | James Lee Pickin† |
| Mark Bergfeld | Thomas Graham | Danielle Grufferty | Sophia James | Fatima Junaid | |
| Pete Mercer | Liam Preston | Javed Anjum Sheikh | Ryan Wain | Rachel Wenstone | |
| 2011–2012 | Ruby Hirsch† | Nes Cazimoglu | Michael Chessum | Lauren Crowley | Matt East |
| Mark Bergfeld | Taylor Kane† | Aaron Kiely | Joe Oliver | Surya Prakash Bhatta | |
| Mary Prescott† | Joshua Rowlands† | Daniel Stevens | Stevie Wise | Rachel Wenstone | |
| 2012–2013 | Alex Causton-Ronaldson | Michael Chessum | Caroline Dangerfield | Reni Eddo-Lodge | Roshni Joshi† |
| Jamil Keating† | Jake Kitchener | Emma Meehan | Aiden Mersh | Surya Prakash Bhatta† | |
| Mark Sewards | Matt Stanley† | Joe Vinson† | Mike Williamson | Jamie Woodcock | |
| 2013–2014 | Ben Dilks | James Mcash | Peter Smallwood | Paul Abernathy | Charles Barry |
| Chris Clements | Jessica Goldstone | Harry Fox | Matt Stanley | Edmund Schluessel | |
| Kirat Raj Singh | Marc McCorkell | Rosie Huzzard | Jeni-Marie Pittuck | Rhiannon Durrans | |
| 2013–2015 | Charlotte Agran | Dario Celaschi† | Daniel Cooper† | Clifford Fleming | Hannah Graham |
| Aaron Kiely† | Shakira Martin† | Michael Rubin | Vonnie Sandlan | Edmund Schluessel | |
| Amy Smith† | Abdi-Aziz Suleiman | Zarah Sultana | Miki Vyse | Poppy Wilkinson | |
| 2015–2016 [10] | Sabrin Adam† | Haaris Ahmed† | Rachel Holland | Sahaya James | Jordan Kenny |
| Anna Lee | Izzy Lenga | Beth Redmond† | Barnaby Raine | Malaka Shwaikh | |
| Michael Segalov | Dan Slavin | Areeb Ullah | Hannah Webb | Poppy Wolfarth | |
| 2016–2017 | Angela Alexander | Siôn Davies† | Hassun El Zafar | Matt Grange | Rachel Holland |
| Zamzam Ibrahim | Sahaya James† | Izzy Lenga | Jasmine Manning | Sean Mcnamee† | |
| Ali Milani | Daniel Nikolla | Ana Oppenheim | Omar Raii | Yinbo Yu† | |
| 2017–2018 | Darren Clarke | Joseph Cox | Zamzam Ibrahim | Hansika Jethnani | Myriam Kane |
| Bethany Kitchener | Jessica Levy | Lucy Mason | Louise Meek | Rahman Mohammadi | |
| Ilyas Nagdee | Nia Nash | Ceewhy Ochoga | Krum Tashev | Aliya Yule | |
†Further education
Until 2019, there were five policy zones:
Each zone was made up of a committee of elected students. [12]
Since the 2020 National Conference, the policy zones have been:
The National Union of Students holds an annual conference. All affiliated students' unions may send delegates to the conference; the number of delegates each union sends is proportional to its membership size. Higher education unions are required to elect their delegates; further education unions, and small and specialist unions are able to appoint theirs. [14]
There is an NUS Liberation Conference [15] which combines all 5 NUS liberation [16] caucuses:
According to the NUS the role of the Trustee Board is as follows:
[The] Trustee Board will work to ensure a sound, healthy and legally compliant organisation – allowing an elected Executive Council of students to concentrate on campaigning and representing students with confidence and integrity. [22]
The Trustee Board is made up of:
| 2010–2011 |
| Karl Hobley [9] |
|---|
| Kainde Manji [9] |
| Fabian Neuner [9] |
| 2011–2013 |
| Jess Green [23] |
|---|
| Ilana Fenster [23] |
| Varinder Singh [23] |
The Democratic Procedures Committee is elected at NUS national conference to ensure that the NUS' democratic procedures are followed. The nomination form for election to the Democratic Procedures Committee describes the remit of the committee as:
[The] Democratic Procedures Committee are responsible for the democracy of NUS – the accessibility of its conference and the fair policy processes of the National Union as a whole. Among other things they are responsible for the motions and amendment process, the accessibility of the Conference venue for all delegates and the administration of conference procedures during the meeting itself. [24]
The Democratic Procedures Committee was criticised for its decision to cut the delegation size of some universities at NUS Conference, a move which is seen as reducing the diversity of delegations sent to conference. [25] [26] Supporters of this decision argue that it addresses a long-standing imbalance between delegate sizes for higher education and further education institutions. [25]
Members elected to the Democratic Procedures Committee are elected on a two-year term.
| 2009–2011 | 2010–2012 | 2011–2013 | 2012–2014 | 2013–2015 | 2014–2016 | 2015–2017 | 2016–2018 | 2017–2019 | 2020–2021 |
| Kathy Wylde [9] | Simon Darvill [9] | Nabil Alizai [27] | Guy Drury [28] | Naa Acquah [29] | John Hein | Tobiloba Adeyemi | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Foster [9] | Sam De Kare-Silver [27] | John Hein [28] | Beth Redmond [29] | Bradley Langer | Eve Alcock | ||||
| Yemi Makinde [9] | Hanif Leylabi [27] | Noah Levy [28] | Sam Gold [29] | Mariya Hussain | Fraser Amos | ||||
| Will Watson [9] | Liz Mutter [27] | Sam Mujunga [28] | Millie Thomas [29] | Sam Mujunga | Phill Dowler | ||||
| Hassun El Zafar | Lucy Holland | ||||||||
| Zainab Khan | |||||||||
| Rania Salim | |||||||||
| Maryam Shah |
National Union of Students Areas are support organisations, affiliation to which is open to individual students' unions which are usually (but not always) already affiliated members of the UK-wide National Union of Students of the United Kingdom ("NUS"). Membership of an Area organisation is optional (determined by the normal democratic process at each students' union) and is paid for by subscription in addition to the cost of affiliation to the national body.
Area organisations meet to support one another through the Areas Political Convention (formerly the Areas National Convention), and are able to attend the NUS' annual conference as non-voting observers. Additionally Area Conveners have sometimes been members of the Executive Committees of the "special regions" (Scotland (NUS Scotland), Wales (NUS Wales), and Northern Ireland (NUS-USI)).
The position of "Areas" within the constitution of the NUS has long been somewhat controversial. They do not feature in all printed editions of the constitution, and have not been officially dissolved by the decision-making Annual Conference of the national body. They are nominally autonomous or semi-autonomous, but often use some of the same branding and certainly have access to the resources of their regional and national offices.
The current National Union of Students' website states this about areas:
Area organisations, recognised by NUS, provide localised support to students’ unions through campaigns, development and training. They consist of students’ unions that choose to affiliate to the Area within a geographical boundary determined by NUS. Area organisations further the work of NUS within their boundary, and must do so in accordance with the aims, objects and policy of the national union.
At one time almost all NUS regions contained several Area organisations; Scotland, for example, was divided into "NUS North of Scotland Area", "NUS West of Scotland Area" and "NUS East of Scotland Area". In this instance, the East of Scotland organisation tended to work very closely with the national (Scottish) organisation due to being based in the same city, Edinburgh. In more remote parts of the country, the Area organisations are intended to form a useful first point of contact and offer a readily accessible person to assist the local student unions.
Areas normally have a "Convener" who is generally a current student or one who has just graduated, and will take a year, theoretically (but not always) paid, to work for the Area — known as a "sabbatical" in the case of current students, and in this sense following the model of the sabbatical officers of students' unions at individual educational institutions. Occasionally the Convener will serve two or even more years in office. Those Areas able to afford the costs may send their Convener to a training session provided by the NUS. In any event, the regional organisation will normally provide training and support.
Because of their local perspective and autonomous nature, it is not uncommon for Areas to be involved in conflicts with the national organisation. Conversely, political groupings (and the fulfilling of obvious functions and shared goals) within the bodies sometimes draws them into very close co-operation.
West Midlands Area National Union of Students (WMANUS) is the oldest of the current National Union of Students Areas and operates as a semi-autonomous organisation of the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom. WMANUS works with affiliated Students' Unions in the West Midlands of England on campaigns, training, union development and other issues of relevance to students in the region. Area organisations are now starting to re-establish themselves across England with the establishment of the South East Area National Union of Student (SEANUS) and the Anglian Union of Students (ANGUS) – with others looking to follow.
WMANUS has two full-time convenors who are supported by a part-time Executive Committee. It holds two Conferences (Spring and Winter) every year to discuss policy, elect its new Executive committee and determine the direction and work of the Area. Its main aims are to represent all students of affiliated Student Union/Associations/Guilds on educational and welfare issues across the West Midlands region. It runs regional wide campaigns as well as specific training events for its Constituent Members (CMs).
The National Union of Students (NUS) is a confederation of student unions in the United Kingdom. Around 600 student unions are affiliated, accounting for more than 95% of all higher and further education unions in the UK. Although the National Union of Students is the central organisation for all affiliated unions in the UK, there are also the devolved national sub-bodies NUS Scotland in Scotland, NUS Wales in Wales and NUS-USI in Northern Ireland.
Labour Students is a student organisation within the Labour Party of the United Kingdom. It is a network of affiliated college and university clubs, known as Labour Clubs, who campaign in their campuses and communities for Labour's values of equality and social justice.
Liberation Left is a factional grouping operating within the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom.
Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) is the students' union at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The Association's aim is the advancement of education of Edinburgh students by representing and supporting them, and by promoting their interests, health and welfare within the community. It is led by a team of five elected student sabbatical officers.
King's College London Students' Union (KCLSU) is an independent charitable organisation that works to further the interests of its members. It governs the 300 student societies and activity groups at King's. KCLSU claims to be the oldest students' union in England.
Sir Ivison Stevenson Macadam was the first Director-General of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and the founding President of the National Union of Students.
The Organised Independents are a grouping within the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom.
NUS-USI, the student movement in Northern Ireland, was formed in 1972 by bilateral agreement between the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom (NUS) and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), to address the particular problems of representing students in Northern Ireland. As of 2018, NUS-USI represented approximately 200,000 students in the region.
The Young Greens of England and Wales (YGEW) is the official youth branch of the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW). All members of the GPEW who are under 30 years old and/or full or part-time students are members of the Young Greens and are allowed to get involved with their activities.
No Platform, in the UK, is a form of student boycott where a person or organisation is denied a platform to speak. The British National Union of Students (NUS) established its No Platform policy in April 1974. Like other No Platform policies, it asserts that no proscribed person or organisation should be given a platform to speak, nor should a union officer share a platform with them. The policy traditionally applies to entities that the NUS considers racist or fascist, most notably the British National Party, although the NUS and its liberation campaigns have policies refusing platforms to other people or organisations. The policy does not extend to students' unions who are part of NUS, although similar policies have also been adopted by its constituent unions.
Andrew Pakes is a British Labour Party politician, and a former president of the National Union of Students (NUS).
In universities in the United Kingdom students' unions are constituted under Section 2 of the Education Act 1994. The ultimate purpose of students' unions is to democratically represent the interests of their members. Students who resign their membership may still use union social facilities provided since they are for the benefit of the students of the institution, not just union members. The vast majority of UK students' unions are affiliated with the National Union of Students (NUS).
Scottish Young Liberals is the Youth and Student wing of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Reformed from the Scottish Young Liberal Democrats in 2008 and Liberal Youth Scotland in 2017, the organisation has taken a prominent role in party conferences. Its membership is open to any member of the Liberal Democrats living, working or studying in Scotland and is either under 30 years of age or in full or part-time education above that age.
National Union of Students Wales is the Welsh section of the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom. NUS Wales, alongside its constituent students' unions represents students in higher and further education in Wales. With over a quarter of a million student members it is the largest democratic organisation in Wales.
The National Union of Students Disabled Students' Campaign is a self-running part of the National Union of Students which exists to "remove the stigma from all disabilities, and to encourage all members of our society to take a positive attitude towards understanding the nature of disability and overcoming prejudices".
The National Union of Students Black Students' Campaign is a self-organised autonomous section of the National Union of Students (NUS). The NUS Black Students' Campaign represents students of African, Asian, Arab and Caribbean heritage.
The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) or Student Left Network is a membership-based organisation of activist students and education workers campaigning against tuition fees, education cuts and privatisation in the United Kingdom.
Shakira Martin is a British student politician and former president of the National Union of Students.
Zamzam Ibrahim is a student politician who was the President of the UK National Union of Students (NUS) from 2019 to 2020. She is also the President and a founding trustee of Students Organising for Sustainability. She succeeded Shakira Martin. She was formerly the NUS Vice President of Society & Citizenship. This followed her term as Salford Students' Union President 2017-2018 and Vice-President of Business and Law 2015–2016. Before she was a full-time officer at NUS, she served on the National Executive Committee for two years. She is now the Vice-President of the European students union.
Larissa Kennedy is a student politician who was President of the UK National Union of Students 2020–2022, succeeding Zamzam Ibrahim. She was the first president elected via online ballot, defeating six other candidates. She served a two-year term to oversee the NUS's three-year plan to financially overhaul its organisation following a £3 million shortfall in 2018. She is also a trustee of Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK), an educational charity formed in response to the climate emergency and ecological crisis.