The value of the LSESU’s affiliaition to the National Union of Students (NUS) has been revealed in the the organisation’s annual Services Benefit statement.
Each year NUS seeks to justify its membership charges by providing statements on the commercial gains that Unions make through being part of NUS Services Ltd (NUSSL). NUSSL works to “champion the commercial success of students’ unions through the purchasing deals with suppliers.”
LSESU Treasurer George Wetz pointed out that: “In the 2008-09 tax year we reaped a £31k benefit by using NUS Services Ltd. (NUSSL) when compared to industry standard suppliers. Paying our £32k per year NUS affiliation fee allows us to buy through NUSSL and make these super savings.”
“Considering that included in this fee is national representation for our Union and all that study at LSE, and access to expertise and training opportunities to support and develop us as an organisation, NUS appears to be recession-busting value for money.”
NUS president Wes Streeting is due to speak at this week’s UGM which will take place at 1pm in the Old Theatre.
Wetz added that: “As well as these direct benefits, we make back-of-office savings through a central billing platform and good relationships formed with big suppliers on our behalf. This year, our commercial benefits from being a part of NUS will increase even further, as our Union is now buying more of its products through NUSSL.”
Another key aspect of the Students’ Union’s affiliation to the NUS is the existence of the NUS Extra scheme, whereby students can purchase a card that grants them discounts at many retailers and services such as Topshop, Amazon and Odeon cinemas. It is believed that many students do not take advantage of this scheme, either because of a lack of knowledge about it, or because they do not feel the discounts offered by it merit the £9 cost. In addition, the suggestion has been made that other forms of identification are widely accepted in order to receive student discounts.
Second year BSc Government and Economics student James Wyse did not renew his NUS Extra card this year, explaining: “I had an NUS card last year, but I felt it wasn’t worth paying to renew it. When you go to a shop that’s supposed to have student discounts, I find you can just use your LSE ID card and they’ll give you the discount.”
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