ANNE SNELGROVE: Young people are being failed by the Government, especially over tuition fees

I was the first girl in my family to go on to higher education and I know it’s made a difference to my life chances and given me opportunities previous generations were denied.

That’s why I’ve always been passionate about encouraging young people to study at university, but we really need to sort out how we fund university studies.

So many parents and grandparents in Swindon tell me how concerned they are about the debts their children and grandchildren leave university with, thanks to the trebling of tuition fees in the last five years. It seems that every which way young people turn, the opportunities for them to make their way in the world are less and less.

From the closing of Children’s Centres across the town and the trebling of tuition fees through, to declining training opportunities and rising housing costs, no generation has been dealt as bad a hand by their government as young people today.

We should be investing in our young people in Swindon so that they are equipped to make the most of their potential instead of having it squandered. I want young people to be successful for themselves, but also so that they build the long-term economic success our country needs.

I’m proud that the next Labour government will help the next generation succeed. Labour will tackle spiralling debt – averaging £44,000 for each graduate - by cutting the tuition fee cap from £9,000 to £6,000 for undergraduates from September 2016 and providing additional grants for students from lower-income backgrounds.

This will form part of Labour’s Young People’s Guarantee, including apprenticeships and a Compulsory Jobs Guarantee funded by a Bank Bonus Tax.

Labour’s decision to cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 and increase student grants will benefit both students and our country as a whole as both can go into the future knowing that we have a more sustainable and less debt-laden system.

This change will be funded by restricting pension tax relief for those on the highest incomes. And the increase in student grants will be paid for by asking the highest earning graduates to contribute a little more.

We all want our children and young people in Swindon to succeed in the future. Under this government, they are being badly let down but this won’t happen under Labour. We will ensure that the next generation isn’t left behind.

Contact Anne Snelgrove