For better and worse, Durham’s student population has an impact on locals | Letters

David Duell says growth in the ability to teach more students has not been paralleled with the ability to accommodate them; Alan Pearson has long lived next to students and enjoys it “Nice cathedral. Shame about all of the students,” a visitor to Durham told me earlier this year. It’s a feeling held by many of the remaining residents of the city too. Durham is a small city, and the colonisation of residential properties by students in the very small centre is referred to in Benjamin Myers’ article (My home town: how Durham changed under Conservative rule, 9 July).The unfettered growth in Durham University numbers over the last decade means the student population exceeds 22,000, including about 5,000 international enrolments. Unfortunately, this growth in the ability to teach more students has not been paralleled with the university’s ability to accommodate them. This has had a dramatic effect on the demography of the city, as well as a big reduction in council tax receipts needed to maintain public infrastructure. Continue reading...Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei TheGuardian Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei TheGuardian