Students' Union & Political Activity

The Students' Union gets involved in campaigning, and in some cases in 'political activity'. But there are laws governing what we can and can't do. This is a complex area and some explanation is given below, mainly in the form of questions and answers. The answers are summaries from the relevant guidance relating to two main areas of legislation.

There are two key pieces of legislation that are relevant to the Students' Union; the Education Act 1994 and Charity Law. The Students' Union also obviously has to comply with other laws that apply to organisations and individuals when organising any activity, including campaigning.

'Students' Union' is defined in section 20 of the Education Act 1994. It includes a body representing or promoting the general interests of students at a university or at a college or hall of a university. The Students' Union exists to represent the students of the University locally and nationally, organise services and activities to meet their needs, and further the educational purposes of the university to which we are attached.

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