Back in November, the Students’ Union launched its General Election campaign with one core aim of ensuring the student voice is heard at both a local and national level.

We spoke to hundreds of students about the campaign and received more than 200 individual ideas about what ideas they wanted addressed during the next government.

These concerns covered topics such as tuition fees, transport in Kirklees and the future of the NHS, which has become a key battleground in this election, and we collated these into a manifesto that was presented to all local candidates.

So far the campaign has been very successful and we've registered over 2500 students to vote - and that's just paper forms - but we're not resting on our laurels and want to make sure as many students as possible can have their say in these elections.

With a week left to register to vote we’re going to be posting each day about a topic that you said matters to you in the Student Manifesto. Remember, registering to vote only takes a couple of minutes and can all be done online - you just need to have your National Insurance number to hand and you’re good to go.

Student Support

Cuts in public funding have made those most vulnerable in society the hardest hit which is evident within the student community. In a 2013 report conducted by NUS, 20% of students considered themselves to have a mental health problem, while 13% have had suicidal thoughts. But, there is no funding to support these students, especially with the proposed cuts to the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

These cuts, initially proposed by the former universities and science minister, David Willetts, in April 2014 would see the Government only fund “the most specialist Non-Medical Help” according to the former minister.

Following a campaign by the National Union of Students (NUS) the current minister for universities and science, Greg Clark, postponed the cuts until 2016-17 to allow for appropriate time for concerns raised by students and students’ unions to be fully addressed so that any changes do not negatively impact disabled students.

Maddy Kirkman, NUS Disabled Students’ Officer said at the time of the postponement: “The disabled students’ allowance is an incredibly important means of support for so many, and we will of course continue to make this case, and ensure that where there is reform it is to make the system work better for disabled students.”

Students at Huddersfield made it clear in the Student Manifesto that they wanted to see the proposal fully scrapped while they also wanted more money invested in supporting students with mental health issues.

Registering to Vote

Registering to vote is done online and only takes a couple of minutes. You’ll need your date of birth and National Insurance number when completing the form.

You can register to vote if you are a British, Commonwealth or European Union citizen.

If you have lost your national insurance number you can contact HM Revenue and Customs on 0845 915 7006 who will be able to help you track your number.

Added Bonus

By registering to vote you qualify for a FREE ticket to our Spring Break event on Monday 20 April. Head over to the event page here to claim your ticket to this party that will kick-start your final term in style, featuring Freshers' favourite Beat A Maxx.