Mike Hancock News
MP Supports University Tuition Fees Fightback
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.
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