Press Release: New Maintenance Grants system will not widen participation
David Willetts MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, has revealed new figures which show that 90% of the extra spending on the new maintenance grants for students will go to families in higher socio-economic groups.
He said:
‘Ministers claimed that their new maintenance grants scheme would broaden access to university. But this new evidence shows it won’t.
‘Students from the most affluent families gain £150m, while those from poorer families gain only £15m. Progress has stalled under this Government, but we must do more to expand university access.
‘Whatever the merits of the new maintenance grants system, it is not going to help tackle the problem of access. It’s just like the 10p tax rate: ministers have given up on spreading opportunity to people from the poorest backgrounds.’
Notes to Editors
On 5th July 2007, the Government announced an expansion of the maintenance grant system for students entering university from 2008/09 onwards. Ministers have said the change is designed to widen access to university among under-represented groups.
• This week, the Prime Minister said: “If people are able to go to university which they weren’t able to do so before because we’ve got a better grant system, that is change.” (Today, BBC Radio 4, 30/4/08)
• John Denham, the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, has said, “We have improved the financial support package available for students starting university to ensure money is not a reason that bars our freshest talent from attending university.” (http://www.johndenham.org.uk/1b145232-5cf1-0e54-c111-52be0fd9882c)
• Bill Rammell, the Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, has said: “The aim of these new arrangements is to ensure that everyone with the potential to progress into higher education has the financial support to do so, no matter what their background.” (Hansard, 4/2/08 col.935W)
However, new figures show the impact of the initiative will be completely different. New data on household income by socio-economic group and on university applications for 2008/09 enable us to see that the additional spending is focussed almost exclusively on households with above-average incomes.