Veolia referendum declared inquorate

Though 58% of turnout voted that the University should cut ties with waste disposal company Veolia, an insufficient number of students voted to make the referendum results valid

by Samantha Sharman

This article is 14 years old

Tuesday October 25 2011, 4:19pm

The recent referendum on whether the University of Cambridge should break ties with Veolia has been declared inquorate.

10 per cent of the student body was required to vote in the referendum in order for the result to be valid, but only 7.2 per cent voted.

However, of those that voted, 58 per cent voted that the University should cut ties with Veolia, a company that has been accused of human rights abuses. The company is currently employed by the University on a waste disposal contract.

The referendum, which closed yesterday, passed with a clear majority: there were 898 votes yes, 637 votes no, and 21 spoilt ballots.

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