Top-Up Fees Threaten £1bn Debt For South West Students

12.00.00pm GMT Tue 27th Jan 2004

Each year-group of students from our region could face nearly £1bn of debt by 2010 if the government succeeds in introducing University Top-up Fees after this week's vote warns Westbury Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman Cllr Duncan Hames.

Cllr Duncan Hames discusses the problem of mounting debts with some of the region's students.

This figure is based on statistics from UCAS showing total number of students applying to University, and Barclays Bank's estimated £33,000 debt each student will incur under top-up fees. This research shows that each year-group of the South West's school leavers applying to University face a debt burden of £910m once Top-up Fees are in force.

"These figure confirm what a terrible blow university tuition fees are to local school leavers." said Duncan Hames.

"Having benefited from free universities themselves, Government ministers are now pulling up the ladder of opportunity behind them. Their costly and messy set of proposals for more fees is inadequate for universities and a rotten deal for Wiltshire teenagers and their families."

"The Liberal Democrats would scrap tuition fees and fund universities through increased income tax for people earning over £100,000 per year. We are the only Party to have come up with a viable and costed alternative."

The government squeezed the Higher Education bill through the Commons on Tuesday by just 5 more MPs than the combined opposition. Commenting on the Higher Education Bill, Cllr Hames said:

"With such close vote in Parliament, it is disappointing that not all Conservative MPs decided to join the Liberal Democrats and Labour rebels in opposing increased university tuition fees".