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Leeds University Union spends £30,000 a year on membership fees to NUS UK, the single biggest membership expenditure for our student union.

Can you name anything the NUS has done in the last 3 years? We can't either. We are spending a substantial amount of money and, in return, we are not receiving much.

In theory, a campaigning body representing millions of students sounds good. In practice, however, the NUS is an ineffective campaigning body which has achieved very little in recent years, and no longer sits on the government’s advisory board following accusations of antisemitism and Islamophobia by numerous Jewish and Muslim organisations across the country.

The money we spend on NUS UK should be spent on local campaigns instead, campaigns that will make a meaningful difference to student life at Leeds University Union.

Think of what else we could spend £30,000 on instead. We could:

Increase funding for the anti-spiking campaign
Lease another Night Bus
Have further sports and societies grants
Expand LiberateLUU
Have a new sabbatical officer
Increase mental health support on campus
... and still have money left over!

NUS UK is a separate body to NUS Charity, the latter of which we will maintain membership of. Whilst NUS Charity supports student unions via training and resources, NUS UK is the campaigning body that has not put our £30,000 membership fees to good use. It’s time to go.

We wouldn’t be the first to leave. Lincoln, Hull, Newcastle, Loughborough, Reading, and Brighton have all left the NUS UK and have remained disaffiliated (Reading did temporarily rejoin, and then they left again!).

Let’s spend the £30,000 we send the NUS on local campaigns instead. Let’s take back control. Say NO to the NUS.

NUS is one of a few national organisations that centres all forms of liberation.
Alongside UKCISA, it is the only organisation where international students are part of a collective. International students are all too often atomised and grouped within groups, the NUS have given space for international students to meet each other and organise around key shared issues.
The NUS have been at the forefront of highlighting trans student’s experiences at Universities across the country.
The NUS were a key part of a successful campaign in banning the use of NDAs at Universities, including the University of Leeds.

It is the only national union for students there is.
The NUS were key in winning over £10m increase in hardship funding to Universities to support students struggling with the rising cost of living in 2023.
For Leeds University students, this amounted to £78,000, supporting our students who needed it most.
As Secretariat’s for APPG for students, being a part of NUS UK gives LUU members the opportunity to meet with interested MPs, advocating on behalf of students at Leeds University.

People can argue we don’t get much out of it as we have more resources than some other student unions.
Student unions do great work but some student issues are national ones, requiring campaigning at a national level and being part of NUS gives us that collective power to do so.
It is impossible to change anything from the sidelines. In order to push for a student movement that is inclusive, welcoming and respectful to all, we need to work together to see the change we want to see. We need to be upstanders and active, not bystanders.
Therefore, LUU should do more to engage and change the NUS. LUU should be at the forefront of the student movement, feeding into and shaping key national campaigns, such as its General Election work.

VOTE YES TO STAYING IN THE NUS!