Tuition fees cut would help local students

LABOUR’S pledge to cut university tuition fees from £9,000 a year to £6,000 should help young people in Warrington, according to Parliamentary hopeful Nick Bent.
The number of university applications from Warrington has fallen in contrast to the national trend and Mr Bent (pictured), Parliamentary candidate for Warrington South, believes this is because many local families have an income just above the threshold where financial help becomes available.
The cut, which will save £9,000 over a typical three-year degree course, would come into force in September next year.
New undergraduates or students on their second or third year of a degree course would benefit and grants from students from low-income households would also be increased.
Mr Bent says the proposed cut has been carefully costed by Labour and would be funded by cutting the tax relief on pension contributions for the richest 1 per cent of earners – those people earning more than £150,000 per year or more. Universities would be compensated for the drop in tuition fee income.
Mr Bent said: “This pledge from Labour will help more young people from middle income families to go to university and is a big boost to fairness and aspiration for Warrington. This will be popular with students and their parents and grandparents as well.”
Since tuition fees rose to £9,000- a-year in 2012, the number of Warrington students applying to university has fallen by more tan 12 per cent, in contrast to the national trend.
In 2011, the last year before tuition fees were trebled, 1,448 Warrington students applied to university. In 2013, this number had fallen to 1,267 – a drop of more than 12 per cent.
Some 4,000 young people in Warrington South will be able to vote in their first General Election.