Since November last year, working closely with your sabbatical officers, we've been carrying out a detailed assessment of every part of how your students' union operates, looking at our governance, finances, how we support your clubs and societies, how your officers are supported, and how we work with the university.
The conclusion is clear: while the people who work here care deeply about students, the union's structures, systems, and ways of working aren't good enough. This isn't about any one thing going wrong. It's the result of many years of not investing in the foundations that a modern Students' Union needs. The systems that other unions take for granted, things like clear decision-making processes, proper staff support structures, and a constitution that actually works, either don't exist here or aren't fit for purpose.
We could try to fix these things gradually, one at a time, while carrying on as normal. But our view is that wouldn't work. The problems are too interconnected and too deep-rooted. So, the trustee board, with the full support of your sabbatical officers, has agreed that the union should enter a formal turnaround programme.
What does turnaround mean?
Turnaround is the union publicly committing to significant change, with expert help, proper funding, and a clear plan to rebuild our foundations over the next fifteen months. It doesn't mean the union is closing, being taken over, or stopping what it does for students. Your clubs and societies will keep running, and the advice and support services you rely on will continue. What it does mean is that we'll be doing intensive work to make sure the union is set up to serve you properly for years to come.
How will it work?
A dedicated turnaround board will oversee the programme. This is a small group of around ten people that will meet regularly to direct and monitor the work. It includes your sabbatical officers, student trustees, students from clubs, societies, and academic representation, experienced staff from other Students' Unions, senior university staff, and external trustees. The turnaround board will be chaired by one of your sabbatical officers to make sure student leadership stays at the heart of everything.
The day-to-day delivery will be led by a Change Director, a dedicated role created specifically for this programme. The Change Director will report to the turnaround board and provide regular updates on progress.
What's actually going to change?
The turnaround covers eight areas identified in the diagnostic as needing significant work.
Your union's strategic direction - Right now, the union doesn't have a clear strategy and we're not clear what students actually want. We'll be commissioning proper research to understand what matters to you, including hearing from students who don't currently engage with the union at all, and using that to build a strategy that genuinely reflects your priorities.
Student representation and democracy - We'll be looking at how your officers are supported, how elections work, and how we can demonstrate that student voice actually makes a difference to university decisions.
Student engagement and services - We'll review what the union offers, how accessible it is, and whether it's reaching the full diversity of the student body, not just the students who are already involved.
The relationship with the university - We'll be developing a proper partnership agreement that sets out what the union and the university expect from each other, including how the two organisations collaborate strategically.
Financial management - We've commissioned an external review of our finances to identify where improvements can be made and how we can get the most out of the resources we have.
Risk management and compliance - We'll be addressing gaps in our policies and procedures, including exploring whether the union should incorporate as a charity, which would strengthen our legal foundations and remove the personal liability risk that currently falls on trustees.
Governance - We've commissioned an independent governance assurance exercise that will make recommendations about what governance infrastructure and practices need to be put in place. Separately, the student insight research will shape how the constitution and bye-laws are reformed to reflect what students actually want from their union. Any changes to the constitution or bye-laws will need to be approved by you, our student members, through a referendum.
People, culture, and leadership - We'll be reviewing how the staff team is organised and supported, making sure workloads are fair, development opportunities exist, and the union has the right people in the right roles to deliver for you.
When will this happen?
The programme runs in three phases.
Phase one runs from May to August 2026 - This is about laying the groundwork for what’s to come by establishing the turnaround board, receiving the findings from the governance assurance exercise and the finance review, commissioning the student insight research, and beginning to develop a new partnership agreement with the university.
Phase two runs from September to December 2026 - This is the intensive design phase, and the period where your input matters most. The student insight research will be underway, and we'll be actively looking for students from all backgrounds to take part, including those who've never engaged with the union before. Using what we learn, we'll develop the union's new strategy, draft a new constitution and bye-laws, and design how officer roles and governance should work going forward.
Phase three runs from January to August 2027 - This is when decisions will get made and implemented. The new constitution and bye-laws will be put to you for approval through a referendum, likely in January or early February 2027. If new or changed officer positions are created, elections for those roles will take place in March 2027. By August 2027, the aim is for the union to be operating under a new strategy, a new constitution, and a new structure, ready for a fresh start at the beginning of the 2027/28 academic year.
How can you get involved?
This turnaround is being done for you our members, and your input is essential to getting it right and ensuring that we do it with you.
From September, there'll be opportunities to take part in the student research that will shape the union's future direction. We want to hear from everyone, not just students who are already involved in the Students’ Union.
If you're finishing your studies this year, your perspective still matters. Before the end of this academic year, we'll be running a short survey to capture the views and experiences of students who are about to leave, so that your voice helps shape what the union becomes next. Keep an eye on your emails and our social media for details.
What won't change?
Your clubs and societies will keep running. The advice service will keep supporting you. The union's day-to-day work for students continues throughout the turnaround. Some lower-priority activities may need to be paused so we can focus on the things that matter most, but any decisions like that will be taken transparently and with your interests at the centre.
Why does it take fifteen months?
We know that sounds like a long time, and we understand the temptation to want everything fixed quickly. The reason it takes this long is that the work has to happen in a particular order. We can't design a new strategy and constitution until we've properly understood what students want from their union, and doing that research takes time, especially if we want to hear from students who don't normally engage with us. Once we've got a draft constitution and bye-laws, they need to come to you for approval through a referendum before anything can change. If that creates different officer roles, those need to be elected. If the staffing structure needs to be reorganised, there's a legal process of consultation that has to be followed fairly. Each step depends on the one before it.
On top of that, the union doesn't stop while this is happening. Your officers are still representing you, staff are still running services, clubs and societies are still being supported. We're rebuilding the foundations while keeping the building open, and that means we can't do everything at once.
We'd rather take the time to do this properly, with your input at every stage, than rush through changes that don't stick.
Where can I find out more?
We'll be posting regular updates on our website as the programme progresses. If you've got questions or want to get involved, you can contact us at ubu@bradford.ac.uk or speak to any of your sabbatical officers.
This is a big moment for your Students' Union. We're not pretending everything's fine, and we're not making promises we can't keep. What we are doing is committing to the hard work of building something better, with expert support, proper funding, and your involvement at every stage.