It’s that time of year again when the next JCR executive committee is determined. This year’s Tier 1 executive election saw Bex Smith become the next JCR president after a single round of voting under single transferable voting (STV), with 77 votes. 

The election saw a turnout of 17.5%, a slight decrease from last year’s 19.5%, but nevertheless one of the highest turnouts in elections in recent years. 

Besides the presidential election, this year’s executive elections saw Andrew Hamilton being re-elected JCR Chair for a second term, with him stating:

“Having gotten used to the job over the past year, my second term will be focused on reviving and strengthening the democracy side of the JCR through systematic reviews of JCR meetings and the election process.”

Additionally, second-year math student Titas Uzemeckas has been elected as Buttery Chair to oversee the Buttery shop and toastie bar for the next year. He said to HEX: 

“I’m looking to hire people as soon as possible to ensure the buttery can actually be open every day, Outside of that, I will be keeping a close eye on our expenses to see about potentially buying a second waffle machine to hopefully allow waffles to be more of a consistently reoccurring event. The rest of my plans are for the next academic year, which focuses on the buttery providing a better experience for freshers by making sure we open sooner and hire people sooner.”

It is worth acknowledging that the number of candidates running for positions in this election was at a historic low, with the roles of Vice President, Treasurer, Welfare, Clubs and Societies Officers all being vacant.  

As such, alongside Tier 2 positions being open for election in roughly a fortnight, the remaining Tier 1 executive positions will also reopen. I would encourage anyone interested in improving student experience and life in Trevs to run in these elections; the JCR has been something I’ve wholeheartedly enjoyed working on in the past year as JCR Chair. 

Image: Andrew Hamilton, Dan Wattis, Titus Uzemeckas