By Alex Butler
Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the Tory party would once again look into student finance and university fees at the Conservative Conference in Manchester on Sunday.
This latest announcement follows the recent rise of the cap from £9,000 to £9,250 back in July.
Conservative Leader May announced pledges to reform on rising tuition fees, freezing the £9,250 price tag, even as the fee is set to rise next year to £9,500 to keep in line with inflation. She also proposed plans to increase on repayment thresholds from £21,000 to £25,000, to ease the burden on middle and lower earning graduates by saving them up to £360 next year.
The move comes following the massive youth vote for Labour in the snap election, a move which Conservatives hope will renew younger voters confidence in the Conservative party. The Government is in consideration of other ideas such as cutting interest rates on loans and introducing lower fees for students studying certain subjects, where there is a skills shortage.
In an interview with The Sun, May expressed: “We have listened to those concerns and we are going to act to offer a fairer deal for students and young people”.
May hopes that in raising the University fee cap she would see a “diversity in the system” with a wider variety of courses offered that would be shorter and cheaper, rather than charging maximum amount.
The plans, announced on Twitter, have already been criticized by Labour MP for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, Luke Pollard: “So your choice is annual tuition fees of £9,250 with the Conservatives or annual tuition fees of £0 with Labour”.
NUS President Shakira Martin also denounced the Tory Plans in a press statement online, commenting: “The government’s announcement on fees today are by no means the major changes required to fix the broken funding system for universities”.
Martin further slammed the capping of fees; adding: “It will make virtually no difference to students”.
Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner, described the move as “a desperate attempt by the Tories to kick the issue into the long grass because they have no plans for young people and no ideas for our country”.
Featured image and gallery: Truck Festival For almost thirty years, set within the rolling fields of Hill Farm in Steventon, Oxfordshire, Truck Festival has been a cornerstone of the British festival calendar. Dubbed the ‘godfather of the UK’s small festival scene’, the festival continues to live up to that title, with a line-up packed with…
Featured image: American Football – American Football album artwork The debut album has long been treated as a baptism of fire for artists – the deciding factor that determines whether a band will ‘make it’ or not. Some debuts set the tone for what follows: Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m…
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra come to the Palace Theatre in Manchester to celebrate the release of their new album, Night Blooms. Liverpool-based Brooke Combe opens the evening with a stripped-back set alongside her guitarist, her soulful vocals instantly captivating the crowd. Blending heartfelt performances with quick-witted…
Featured image and gallery: Sally Stretch Three decades after they first emerged in Manchester, Take That return home to the Etihad Stadium and deliver an unforgettable show, combining circus theatrics and crowd-pleasing hits from across their catalogue. Formed in 1990, the group have released multiple chart-topping albums and embarked on numerous world tours, including 2009’s…
Leave a reply