National Union of Students (NUS) members have voted in favour of governance changes that will see the organisation split into two distinct entities.
NUS intends to dissolve the existing group structure and create a company whose purpose is to deliver a national student voice, and a charity whose purpose is to support students’ union development.
Both these bodies will be owned by students’ unions and funded through an affiliation fee. Membership of the charity will be optional for students’ unions.
The existing NUS Group is made up of seven different entities: the overall group, a holding company that owns the property, a charitable arm for England and Wales, a charitable arm for Scotland and three subsidiary companies.
Last year a turnaround board was appointed to look for cost-savings as the group faced a £3m shortfall.
The plan announced by the turnaround board said: “The affiliation fee will be organised as a gateway, with the primary membership being to NUS UK for an affiliation fee set at 2 per cent of grants and with the option to join the NUS Charity for an affiliation fee set at 0.5 per cent of grants.”
A company law meeting took place in Manchester earlier this month. Members were presented with two resolutions – one changing the articles of association and rules, and another outlining an approach for the delivery of reform. They voted conclusively to dissolve the NUS Group and create two distinct entities owned by students’ unions.
Speaking at the meeting, president Shakira Martin said: “We’ve come a long way in a very short time building on the consultations, engagement and support of members in recent years. Now we need to prepare a plan for transition, so we deliver what members, officers and students have told us they want their NUS to be.
“I am immensely proud of the hard work staff, officers, board members and members have put in to get us to this point. I am very pleased to be handing NUS over to a new president in a much better position than it was just a few months ago, with a clear mandate for change, and the permissions she needs to make it all happen.”
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