A surge in the number of 18-year-olds combined with a lack of housing and landlords switching to Airbnb create a perfect storm
When 18-year-old Jessie Smith netted the top grades she needed last month to study at Manchester University she was delighted. She didn’t know then that all the university’s student halls would be full, and she would be forced to accept accommodation in Liverpool.
Sarah Smith, Jessie’s mother, who works as a PA in Sheffield, said she feels “frightened and disgusted” about her daughter living so far from the university. Manchester has offered £100 a week to cover commuting costs, but she feels this “misses the point”. She doesn’t want her daughter to be a 40-minute train ride away from the city she signed up for.
