Student Senate

Student Senate is the Students' Union's policy making body and all students are invited to take up seats as Student Senators to represent their fellow peers and help lead the Union forward. Policies provide the framework which the Union and its Elected Officers operate within. Student Senate has the power to make and review policy, ensuring the Union works to reflect the values and ideals of the Student Body.

Student Senate is the Union's highest regular decision-making body. However, the Annual Members Meeting and Referenda have higher authority as they allow all students a vote, not just their elected representatives. The Union has policies to ensure that the services and activities we provide are in line with student values and ideals. You can find out more detail on how Student Senate works and minutes of previous meetings below.

Senate 2021 / 2022 dates

Thursday 16th December 2021 - 5pm

Tuesday 1st February 2022 - 5pm

Tuesday 22nd March 2022 - 5pm

Tuesday 26th April 2022 - 5pm

Information about the meetings

Student Senate meets five times a year (the dates and times of upcoming meetings can be found on the top left of this page).

Standard Senate business will include a report from the Sabbatical Trustees, with a chance to ask questions, as well as discussion and voting on any motions which have been submitted. These motions are important, as when passed they will shape the work of your Sabbatical Officers and the Students' Union. Student Senate will recieve the Students' Union budget at their first meeting each year.

How does voting work?

At least 20 people must be present for a vote to be valid, i.e. 50% +1 of all voting members.

A voting record will be kept online of how Officers and Student Senators vote. However, since the randomly selected students are not elected and are only voting on their own behalf their vote will be counted anonymously.

How does it work?

Head to our ideas hub to submit an idea or vote on existing ones. This platform allows students to 'up vote' or 'down vote' your idea. If a 'down vote' is received, that means the total number will go down i.e. if you have 0 votes and someone 'down votes' it will become -1 votes.

Student Senate will then debate the idea and vote as to whether or not it will become students' union policy. If your idea has an operational component (for example, "the students' union should serve more vegan-friendly options") we can probably look at that without you having to pass it through this system, by providing feedback directly to our Sales and Customer Services team. So what are you waiting for?

Minutes and Agenda