<p>This week on Working for Students there’s a bumper collaborations special. What does it really take for students' unions to genuinely work together – and what hard questions should boards be asking themselves as costs rise, income falls and institutional instability spreads?</p><p>Alan caught up with Steve Coole and Ben Ward on the Greater Manchester Students Partnership, the cultural conditions that have made collaboration stick across the city, and where joint finance functions, shared services and collective lobbying might go next.</p><p>Plus Liv spoke to Ben Vulliamy about his recent Wonkhe blog reflecting on the hard questions facing SU boards right now, from business continuity and strategy stress testing through to reserves, risk appetite and low risk shared service vehicles.</p><p>With Steve Coole off of Coole Insight, Ben Ward from University of Manchester SU, Ben Vulliamy from the Association of Heads of University Administration and presented by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (Counterculture).</p>