SERENA TIERNEY MAKES PLEDGE TO VOTERS ON STUDENT FEES

10.39.39pm GMT Tue 2nd Mar 2010

Chris Huhne MP speaking at York University

Serena Tierney has signed a pledge to voters ahead of the forthcoming general election that she would vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has launched the Vote for Students campaign to encourage candidates to pledge to protect student interests by opposing attempts to lift the cap on student top-up fees.

The Vote for Students funding pledge states:

"I pledge to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament, and will put pressure on the Government to introduce a fairer alternative."

Serena Tierney said:

" We must invest in education if we are to compete with other economies. Too many students now leave university with a massive debt from their studies and that adds to the burden they face when trying to get on the housing ladder. They work hard to get the grades to get into university and to get a good degree. We have to help them to make a good start in their working lives - not reward their hard work with years of debt."

NUS President Wes Streeting said:

"The vast majority of the general public is against higher fees, and although this review has been set up to report after the general election, voters deserve to know where their MP stands on this highly emotive issue.

"I am delighted that Serena Tierney is standing up for students and their families in Mid Sussex by signing up to this pledge. She has demonstrated her determination to give every young person in Mid Sussex a fair chance to go to university."

A recent YouGov poll commissioned by NUS revealed that 88% of the public does not think the review should even consider increasing fees, while a majority believes that it should look at alternatives. Last year, research by Opinionpanel showed that a political party's position on tuition fees would affect how 79% of students would vote in a general election.

For Lib Dem education policy: http://www.libdems.org.uk/siteFiles/resources/PDF/Policy%20Briefing%20Education%20and%20Skills%20Jan%202010.pdf