Local MP's Vote Against 'Top Up' Fees

12.00.00am GMT Wed 28th Jan 2004

Local MP's Vincent Cable and Jenny Tongue both voted against the legislation (second reading) introducing "top up fees" for university students when the government squeezed by with a majority of 5.

Vince Cable said: "this legislation will have an enormous impact locally since we have a high participation rate in higher education. The vast majority of local students come from middle income families who will not benefit from the special help for working class students nor are they rich enough to be able to disregard the costs.

"The new top up fees, taken together with the student debt, will leave students who attend popular courses at popular universities with debts of around £30,000. I cannot believe that it will not deter applicants. After all this, there will be little extra money for universities and most of that will be claimed back, in time, by the treasury.

"We also need to get beyond the negative stereotype of students as heavy drinking, young people who avoid hard work. Most of St Mary's and Kingston students who live in the constituency are driven by necessity to work for cash as well as academically in term time as well as vacations."