Cut rate Crewe is student mecca (From Crewe Guardian)

Cut rate Crewe is student mecca

9:46am Thursday 17th May 2007

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CREWE is the cheapest place in the country for students to live and study, a survey has revealed.

Students in Crewe pay on average £37 a week in rent, compared to the national average of £60, according to research by London-based group Accommodation for Students.

"The vast majority of students are not that bothered about being somewhere posh and expensive."

MMU spokesman Gareth Hollyman

The survey, which looked at 37,000 properties in 65 university cities and towns, revealed that students in Crewe were paying 37% less for their accommodation than students in towns and cities such as London, Durham, Manchester and Liverpool.

Simon Thompson, co-founder and director of Accommodation for Students, said the survey's findings reflected the changing fortunes of students across the UK.

He said: "Now that students are accumulating large borrowings to subsidise their studies, the cost of accommodation has become a critical factor in their choice of university and our UK-wide league table for rents is a valuable tool for new students in assessing their university options."

There are now an estimated 4,000 students living and studying in Crewe, either in the new university halls of residence at Crewe Green or in rented flats around the town.

MMU spokesman Gareth Hollyman said more and more students were coming to study in Crewe, something that was having a positive knock-on effect on the town.

He added: "The vast majority of students are not that bothered about being somewhere posh and expensive, because keeping down costs is their main priority.

"It's still reasonably cheap to live in Crewe in terms of eating and going out as well as accommodation, so it's on the up in that respect."

The survey puts the average rent for a student flat in Crewe at £37.22 a week, £65 cheaper than the average for London and the South East.

Mr Hollyman added: "There's some great things about being in Crewe, one of which is definitely the cost of living."

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