Northern Services is a purchasing consortium which came into being in 1985. It was founded because Scottish Student Organisations felt that their special needs, such as regional variations in taste, were not being catered for by the existing Student Union Consortium. Members:Dundee University Students' Association, Glasgow School of Art Students' Associaton,Glasgow University Union,Queens University Belfast,Robert Gordon University, Queen Margaret Union, St Andrew's University Student's Association. The aim of Northern Services is to negotiate and provide the best possible services for students by means of both collective purchasing and co-ordinated activities. Member Unions benefit by obtaining much better deals than they would individually. They place orders separately and are invoiced separately, but are able to take advantage of the negotiated prices and terms obtained by the group as a whole. The same terms in respect of price, delivery, etc., from Suppliers should apply to all members, regardless of size or location. Northern Services is a fully democratic body in which student officers cast votes. These votes are allocated to each member organisation in direct relation to that institution's purchasing power. The Executive Committee, elected at the A.G.M., acts as a ‘Steering Committee' and deals with day-to-day decisions, monitoring plans for the Annual Conference and approving the agenda of General Meetings.The Executive is as follows:Lauren Kay Hinton - President (Student Member) Anne-Marie Bennett - Executive Director (Staff Member) Anthony McConachie - Treasurer (Staff Member)