Consultation on the OfS’s approach to regulating students’ unions on free speech matters

What would be the effect of these proposals?

129. Our proposals are designed to implement the requirements in the Act relating to our regulation of students’ unions on free speech matters. Our proposals reflect our risk-based regulatory approach. They will establish a proportionate approach to our monitoring of students’ unions, enabling us to focus our regulatory attention, and regulatory burden, on areas where there is the greatest risk of non-compliance with the free speech duties.
130. Students will not have a high quality education if that education is not grounded in freedom of speech. That includes freedom of speech for themselves, for fellow students, for those who teach or supervise them, and for visiting speakers. Our proposals are designed to ensure that relevant students’ unions secure freedom of speech within the law for staff, students and visiting speakers.
131. The proposal relating to the publication of information would provide transparency and clarity about the type of information that the OfS would normally expect to publish, or not to publish, in relation to the OfS’s regulation of relevant students’ unions on free speech matters. It would provide transparency and clarity about the factors that the OfS would have regard to when making publication decisions about those matters. More generally, the proposal is likely to increase transparency about the OfS’s activities and decisions, for students and other stakeholders.