Students are making their voices heard ahead of the general election.

And with a Huddersfield University Students Union campaign to get more students registered to vote already a success, they hope candidates will be interested in a manifesto they’ve created.

The Students Union (SU) is sending its manifesto out to all local general election candidates and any responses will be relayed to students to help them make an informed decision when it comes to casting their vote.

Josh Elderfield, Students’ Union President, said: “The ideas in this manifesto have come directly from students.

“We launched a student consultation in November last year to find out what students wanted to see improved in both their local area and across the country.

“We will be sending copies to candidates in Huddersfield, Colne Valley and Dewsbury with the aim to spark debate and secure a commitment from the candidates on the key issues that affect students.”

Dan Ridsdale, Democracy and Campaigns Coordinator, said they were aiming to get 2,000 students registered to vote this week.

He said: “In just two days we’ve managed to get 660 students registered.

“We got some funding from the university to bring on board 29 student staff to go out and speak to students about the process and sign them up.

“We’ve had a really good response, it shows there is an interest and we find engaging with people one-to-one is better than a mass email communication as it allows us to directly answer anyone’s questions.”

With around 20,000 potential student voters in the Huddersfield area, the student voice is a major one.

The manifesto, called ‘This Matters: A Student Manifesto’, features 18 recommendations and its content is wide-ranging, from tuition fees to the future of the NHS and housing and transport.

Ideas include a student transport card to ease getting about, and the SU believes Kirklees Council should get more government funding for town centre infrastructure.

Changes to voter registration include allowing people to register on election day, as well as improvements to democracy education.

Housing ideas include a cap on student accommodation charges and a national landlord accreditation scheme.

And tuition fees remain a concern. Students want a return to the public funding of universities and tuition fees reduced then removed.

The manifesto is part of the Students’ Union’s Democracy Week which includes National Voter Registration Day on Thursday, February 5, where the Students’ Union has teamed up with the University, Kirklees Council and the National Union of Students.