Campaign aiming to ensure students have say in local elections

Call for postponement of community council poll in St Andrews

The new president of the Students’ Association at St Andrews University has encouraged students to get involved in local democracy.

The issue was first raised earlier this year in a row over house in multiple occupation (HMO) quotas.

St Andrews students were turning to their democratic right to vote in their droves amid feelings their opinions were being ignored by local politicians.

They had the backing of the university, with a spokesman saying it stood “foursquare” behind the student community.

Many have already registered to vote after councillors on the north-east Fife area committee voted to impose strict quotas on the number of houses of multiple occupancy in the town.

Student leaders then set up a campaign to encourage students to register to vote.

At the time there was speculation this could lead to single-issue student candidates being fielded in elections.

Outgoing student association president Lewis Wood refused to accept a “battleground” between town and gown but he said many students felt part of the community.

The university said the council had taken a decision on HMOs while ignoring the views of half of the people who live in the town.

New students’ association president Paloma Paige said the group is leading a long-term campaign encouraging student voter registration.

She has called for the St Andrews community council elections to be postponed, arguing students would not have been in town to meet the deadline of August 10 for registering.

Stressing the importance of town and gown relations, in an email to students she said while they make up more than half the population in the town, there was no proportional representation on the community council or Fife Council.

With community council elections this year, information on voting or declaring candidacy has been circulated.

Ms Paige said: “On a local level, the more students engage with the community and Fife councils, whether that is by voting or standing as candidates themselves, the more accurate the representation of these councils and the stronger their mandates will be.”

She said she expected student turnout to be low for the October 4 election.

Conservative councillor Dominic Nolan has backed the call for the elections to be postponed.

“The more students engage with the community and Fife councils... the stronger their mandates will be. PALOMA PAIGE