What students asked for

Students called on Team Lancashire to:

• Reduce sports membership fees back to the previous rate
• Reintroduce an affordable monthly payment option.
• Clarify whether financial support through the Activity Hardship Fund would remain available.
• Provide greater notice and consultation before significant future price increases.

What we discussed

Team Lancashire reiterated its commitment to encouraging participation in sport, remaining student-focused, and making decisions that balance affordability for students with increasing costs, budget pressures and external financial factors.

Communication and notice

Team Lancashire acknowledged that communication around this year's changes could have been better and recognised the importance of providing students with as much notice as possible when significant changes are being considered.

While some decisions are linked to annual budget-setting processes and wider University timelines, Team Lancashire committed to improving communication and aiming to provide more advance notice of future changes wherever possible.

Outcome: Team Lancashire acknowledged student concerns about communication and has committed to improving notice and communication around future changes.

Monthly payment options

The request to reintroduce a monthly payment option was discussed in detail. Team Lancashire confirmed that the current membership payment structure (one payment) will remain in place for the 2026/27 academic year.

Team Lancashire explained that several factors contributed to the decision to remove monthly payments. The membership system currently used does not provide automatic notifications when a member stops making payments. In the previous year, a significant number of students cancelled monthly payments but continued to access club memberships, facilities and associated benefits. Team Lancashire also experienced cases where payments were later reclaimed through banking chargeback processes while membership access continued. As a result, Team Lancashire incurred substantial financial losses and faced ongoing challenges in identifying and recovering outstanding membership fees.

Team Lancashire noted that rising costs, including transport, kit laundry and other operational expenses, alongside wider financial pressures, were also factors considered when making decisions about membership fees and payment arrangements.

However, Team Lancashire has committed to reviewing the feasibility of monthly payments, or alternative flexible payment arrangements, at the end of the academic year as part of future planning and budget discussions.

Outcome: No change for 2026/27, but Team Lancashire has committed to reviewing monthly payment options at the end of the academic year.

Activity Hardship Fund

The petition also asked for clarity on whether financial support would remain available for students facing barriers to participation.

Team Lancashire and the Students' Union confirmed that the Activity Hardship Fund will continue to be available throughout the 2026/27 academic year to support students who may experience financial barriers to taking part in sport and other activities.

Information about the fund, including eligibility and how students can access support, was shared at the start of September.

The Students' Union and Team Lancashire work together to administer the fund. While the fund remains available to students who need it, it is not actively promoted on a large scale. This helps ensure that the funding can be prioritised for students facing genuine financial barriers to participation, allowing support to reach those who need it most.

Outcome: The Activity Hardship Fund remains available for 2026/27 and can provide support for students experiencing financial hardship.

Student consultation and involvement

The petition highlighted the importance of students being able to influence decisions that affect them.

To support this, Team Lancashire will share details of future Sports Forum meetings with sports club members and the Students' Union. The Students' Union will help promote these opportunities so that more students can contribute directly to discussions about sport and physical activity provision.

Outcome: Opportunities for students to share feedback and influence future decisions through Sports Forum engagement.

Next steps

The Students' Union will continue to raise the concerns highlighted through the petition and monitor the commitments made by Team Lancashire. We will also work with Team Lancashire to ensure students are aware of consultation opportunities and can contribute to future discussions before decisions are implemented.

Thank you again to everyone who engaged with the petition and shared their views. Your feedback has helped secure commitments around improved communication, a future review of payment options, confirmation of continued hardship funding, and increased opportunities for student consultation and involvement.