Society Council

Support societies. Shape student life. Make your voice heard.

What is it?

The Society Council is a vital part of the Union’s structure, acting as a bridge between student societies and the The Union.

It exists to represent the needs and voices of society committees, help make decisions on funding, and support campaigns and initiatives that benefit the student community.

As a Society Council Member, you’ll play a hands-on role in supporting societies.

Society Town Hall

The Society Town Hall is a regular meeting led by the Society Council Execs and the Societies & Development Officer.

It’s an opportunity to update societies on what we’ve been working on, share important news, and highlight upcoming plans.

It’s also a space for societies to raise any concerns, share their own updates, and connect with the other members of other societies.

What does the role involve?

Attend grant panels

You’ll sit on grant decision panels alongside the Societies and Development Officer to review and decide on society funding applications. This is one of the council's core responsibilities and an important way to make sure funding is fair, transparent, and goes to projects that benefit students.

Bring ideas to life

Have a campaign, event, or resource idea that could improve student life or help societies? Council members are encouraged to pitch and develop ideas that the Union can support, whether that’s a new training workshop, collaboration week, or resource pack.

Represent and feed back

Each member acts as a representative for a group of societies (e.g., academic, cultural, performance, etc.). You’ll be the point of contact for those societies, gathering feedback, ideas, or concerns to take back to the Societies and Development Officer.

Attend monthly meetings

You’ll meet monthly with the Societies and Development Officer and other council members to:

  • Discuss grant applications
  • Talk through issues or wins within the society space
  • Plan future campaigns or collaborative opportunities
  • Help shape policy and Union strategy relating to societies

Time commitment

  • Minimum: ~5 hours per month (includes meetings and grant panel work)
  • Flexible: You can contribute more time if you wish to help with campaigns, events, or projects
  • Full academic year: Ideally, members will commit for the full year for consistency

How do I join Society Council?

Stage 1: Express your interest

Let us know you’re interested in running by contacting us via email, in person, during the first townhall or DMing the SocDev Instagram page. Just send:

  • Your name
  • The society you're part of
  • Which council role you're interested in

Stage 2: Informal election at the first Society Town Hall

All elections will take place during the first Society Town Hall of the year.

Each interested candidate will give a 1-minute speech to tell society committee members why they want the role and what they’d bring to the table.

After all candidates have spoken, we’ll have a simple show-of-hands vote in the room to decide who gets the role.

Stage 3: Majority wins

The candidate with the most votes will be elected on the spot!

If only one person runs for a role, they’ll automatically be confirmed in the position.