"Higher Education Heading Towards Chaos"

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 25th Jan 2005

Cllr Greg Mulholland, Lib Dem Councillor for Headingley and Parliamentary Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats in Leeds North West has slammed Government Higher Education policy in light of a new survey published today.

The Student Experience study, carried out by MORI on behalf of the Unite Group, found that the average student debt climbed ?525 this year to stand at ?5,285. Students expect that they will owe ?9,744 at graduation. While student loans are the most common form of debt, more than one in three students have a bank overdraft and 17 per cent have credit card loans.

Cllr Mulholland, who has been heavily involved in the Campaign against fees in Leeds commented "I don't think these results are a surprise to anyone, least of all students who are more and more concerned about the burden of debt. This is an indication of what the Government is doing to Higher Education".

Phil Willis, Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Secretary, commented: "Higher Education in England is heading towards chaos". He added "Students are forced to work more hours to manage debts that will escalate even further with the introduction of top-up fees. Quality of education is bound to suffer as young people have to neglect their studies to earn money to pay for the rising cost of a degree."

Cllr Mulholland already represents Headingley, one of the most densely populated student populated wards in the country and Leeds North West, the seat being vacated by Harold Best, also has one of the largest numbers of students of any parliamentary seat in the UK. The National Union of Students (NUS) also warned about the dangers of debt: "One in four students will have some mental health problem during their time at university and financial worries are often at the root of their depression".

Cllr Mulholland concludes, "It is likely that the general election is only 14 weeks away and the anger amongst students at Government policy is very clear so Tony Blair better be ready for the backlash in seats like Leeds North West."