What next for Kat Fletcher?
With Kat Fletcher having been convincingly re-elected as NUS President, we analyse what looks set to be in her in-tray.
First and foremost there's the NUS's huge budget deficit which must be addressed. Figures from the website of Southampton Students Union suggest that it could be anywhere between £800,000 and £1 million. Whilst it appears that the national union has been able to secure a further overdraft from its bank, the money will still need to be paid back. It's a difficult task and one which appears to be almost impossible to resolve. However, it will have to be addressed, and the question is how the deficit can be reduced without having an adverse effect on the services offered by the NUS. We will wait and see.
Meanwhile, the thorny issue of tuition fees remains. With legislation having already been passed to introduce them across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the union is going to have to steer a new course. It is going to have to come to terms with the fact that if Labour win the next election (as appears likely) fees are likely to be here to stay. Because of this, action taken by the NUS will have to move from campaigning against them to negotiating with academic institutions to get the best deal possible for students.
With many universities closing departments, how will the NUS battle to keep them open in order to provide students paying more for their degrees with the kind of choice (it's that word again!) they ought to be entitled to?
And finally, as this is likely to be Ms Fletcher's final year at the helm of the NUS, is she going to want to leave a legacy by which she will be remembered? If so, what might that be?
It looks set to be an interesting year ahead.
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