Labour Conference 2011: Loss of EMA 'greater than tuition fee hike'
Neil Puffett
Monday, September 26, 2011
The abolition of the education maintenance allowance (EMA) represents a greater problem for the future than the increase of university tuition fees, MP Stella Creasy has said.
Speaking at the Labour conference in Liverpool at an event organised by the British Youth Council, the former youth worker said the loss of the EMA has led to young people being put off further education before they even think about higher education.
Creasy was speaking after party leader Ed Miliband pledged that Labour would cut the maximum university tuition fee by a third from £9,000 to £6,000.
Young people attending the event said they still felt £6,000 was too much and would deter young people from attending university.
Creasy accepted that £6,000 was still a lot of money, but added: "I’m seeing fewer people going to sixth-form college because of the loss of EMA funding. They are, for me, a bigger priority because I can see it in my constituency of Walthamstow.
"It is making a difference to those going on to further education."
Creasy also urged young people at the meeting to team up with local youth services to campaign to have money being ploughed into the government’s National Citizen Service (NCS) programme used to reinstate youth services.
"Some authorities have had 70 per cent cuts [to youth services] and some have had it cut altogether," she said.
"An influential parliamentary committee has said the NCS hasn’t achieved value for money. It could fund the entirety of youth services for a year. This is money for services for young people so young people should decide what it is spent on.
"I would love to see young people working with what is left of youth services, making the argument about what should be done in their own areas."
Creasy was speaking after party leader Ed Miliband pledged that Labour would cut the maximum university tuition fee by a third from £9,000 to £6,000.
Young people attending the event said they still felt £6,000 was too much and would deter young people from attending university.
Creasy accepted that £6,000 was still a lot of money, but added: "I’m seeing fewer people going to sixth-form college because of the loss of EMA funding. They are, for me, a bigger priority because I can see it in my constituency of Walthamstow.
"It is making a difference to those going on to further education."
Creasy also urged young people at the meeting to team up with local youth services to campaign to have money being ploughed into the government’s National Citizen Service (NCS) programme used to reinstate youth services.
"Some authorities have had 70 per cent cuts [to youth services] and some have had it cut altogether," she said.
"An influential parliamentary committee has said the NCS hasn’t achieved value for money. It could fund the entirety of youth services for a year. This is money for services for young people so young people should decide what it is spent on.
"I would love to see young people working with what is left of youth services, making the argument about what should be done in their own areas."
