I was elected saying that I would cut the cost of student life.

Over the year, I will work with my fellow sabbaticals, Naomi Hunter (Vice President Societies and Activities), George Thomas (Vice President Services), and Guy Bromley (Vice President Academic Affairs) to secure a better deal for Edinburgh students.

Costs are rising. Food prices, bills and course fees are through the roof. Students are some of the hardest hit by the global economic climate. Throughout this, we must ensure that no one is too poor to get an Edinburgh University degree.

So we will be doing our bit to help you day to day. Over the summer, as I promised I would, I secured student discounts on vegetables from local farm Damhead Organics. This means that, if you share with your flatmates, you can get all of your vegetables delivered to your door for £3 each a week, saving the average Edinburgh student around £350 a year. You can also get discounts on apply to fruit, eggs, and anything else from their online shop.

This is one of the ways that we have been working to save you money on the things you buy day to day. Over the year, I will be working to set up similar projects ranging from help with flat hunting to cheaper laptops and bikes. We shall campaign to ensure student flats in Edinburgh are better insulated, which could substantially cut your bills. We will also be working to ensure we deliver the best possible value in the unions.

But ultimately, students just don't get enough money to live off. The maximum level of support for a Scottish student is £4,510; the government say the poverty line is around £7,000. No one should be asked to live below the poverty line, yet huge number of students do. The Scottish Government was elected promising to improve student support. We will be working to ensure the government lifts poorer students out of poverty.

But it isn't all about the cost of living. Among other things, we are here to get degrees. It is crucial that the university gets the right balance between research and teaching, between advancing knowledge and sharing it.

We will be working to ensure you get the best possible teaching. But this isn't possible unless staff get recognition for the teaching they do. The Scottish economy is dependent upon well-taught graduates, yet the government has failed to stump up the cash needed. There are huge numbers of students in Scotland – nearly one in five people in Edinburgh are students and together we have a huge number of votes. It is crucial that we show that we will not accept cuts in university teaching budgets from a government investing a fortune in roads and tax cuts.

This year we will be working to improve the University of Edinburgh student experience. We will try to help you weather the economic storm of the credit crunch and rising fuel costs. We will work to ensure you get world leading teaching. And we will do our best to keep student life fun.