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As students return to university, Mike Hancock MP (Liberal Democrat –
Portsmouth South) is today supporting an initiative by the UK Youth
Parliament to highlight the cost of university tuition fees.
Over 9000 stickered £1 coins are to go into circulation across the UK today
(Monday 6th October), highlighting the £9,000 cost of tuition fees being
paid by students in England and Northern Ireland over the course of a
degree.
Local MP, Mike Hancock, is supporting the campaign by circulating the coins
in the House of Commons and in Portsmouth South.
The initiative, part of a UK Youth Parliament campaign to abolish university
tuition fees, is being launched as thousands of students prepare to start
university. According to a UK Youth Parliament survey of 6000 young people,
one in three young people wanting to go to university say they can’t afford
to go.
James Greenhalgh, 18, Member of Youth Parliament, said: “There seems to be
no end in sight as the cost of university spirals out of control. Young
people are being asked to play Russian roulette with their financial future
as they incur mounting debts. Education should be free for all young people
and we will not stop until the injustices this flawed tuition fees system
have created, are brought to an end.”
The Lib Dems are opposed to university tuition fees and Mike Hancock, along
with his Lib Dem colleagues voted in Parliament against their introduction.
When the Lib Dems were in partnership Government in Scotland, they ensured
that they were not introduced in Scotland.
Mike Hancock commented: “Labour’s mantra was once “Education, Education,
Education.” Now they seem to have abandoned that. The survey by the Youth
Parliament shows that tuition fees deter many people from going to
university – especially the less well-off. I was proud to vote against
tuition fees and I believe the Government should now re-think this and
abolish tuition fees and invest in the future both of our country and our
students. It has been shown for example that on average graduates pay
considerably more tax than non-graduates.”
Tuition fees have now been set at up to £3145 per year in England and
Northern Ireland. Fees in Wales are capped at £1255 and there are no tuition
fees in Scotland. |
