Petition sent to Annette Brooke MP

As I wrote previously, the momentum is continuing with many more people signing the petition, Lib Dems Against Tuition Fees. Within a week over 100 more people have signed it (over 270 signatories in total) and I have now sent a letter to Annette Brooke MP.

Annette Brooke signed the NUS pledge and the press release can be found on her website here. After signing the pledge Annette said

'it is desperately important that the Government recognises that driving up student fees will drive away students. We need a fairly costed alternative to an increase in top up fees that means that students do not leave burdened with a lifetime of debt.'

The policy announced by the coalition government means that our future graduates would have just that, debts for a lifetime.

The full copy of the letter is below:

Dear Mrs Brooke,

I am writing to you enclosing a petition signed by over 270 Liberal Democrat members and voters against raising the cap on tuition fees.

We are angry that the party’s leadership has so warmly welcomed the Browne Report into funding of Higher Education and has announced that the cap on tuition fees will rise to £9,000, in contrast to party policy voted by members at our conference.

As you are aware, 270 is a significant number. If this amount of Lib Dem voters in your constituency desert the party and stay at home or vote for another candidate next time, then you will not be returned as Member of Parliament.

After signing the NUS pledge you said in a press release (still viewable on your website) that 'it is desperately important that the Government recognises that driving up student fees will drive away students. We need a fairly costed alternative to an increase in top up fees that means that students do not leave burdened with a lifetime of debt.' The policy announced by the coalition government means that our future graduates would have just that, debts for a lifetime.

Therefore, I urge you to uphold the NUS pledge that you signed prior to being elected and come out publically and say you will not back these proposals to raise the cap on tuition fees and will work towards abolishing them altogether.

I have also enclosed a copy of an entry from my blog that includes a number of comments that the signatories have left.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Neil Woollcott