Fine Gael councillor Eddie Hoare has lamented the recent decision by NUI Galway to introduce a four per cent rental increase for on campus student accommodation.
The proposed increase which will be introduced for the 2020/2021 academic year will see rents in the newly developed Goldcrest Village increase to nearly €750 per month for a single room.
Cllr Hoare believes that the proposed increase sends out the wrong message to current and prospective students.
He said; “Having attended the launch of NUI Galway’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025 I was pleased to see ‘affordable and sustainable on-campus accommodation for our students’ listed as a key priority within the plan. In my opinion, this recent move directly contradicts this objective at the expense of students and their families”
An alumni of NUI Galway, Cllr Hoare intends to contact the president of NUI Galway, Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, to clarify the rationale for the increase and request that this increase is reversed.
Cllr said; “NUI Galway has always been and should always be an open and welcoming campus. I will be calling on the university to consider reversing this decision.”
