TIME TO AXE TUITION FEES SAYS CAROL WOODS

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 18th Aug 2009

Following the news that new students will graduate with £23,000 of debt, Lib Dem Carol Woods has repeated her call for tuition fees to be scrapped.

Carol said, "This is an unacceptable burden to impose on young people. We must also bear in mind the effect these huge fees have on parents of students as they are often relied upon to bear much of the cost.

"In poorer families especially, with job prospects for graduates getting worse, the idea of taking on such large levels of debt is making bright and capable students think twice about going to university.

"Labour promised not introduce top up fees and they broke that promise. Now it is expected that they will allow fees to rise to £7000 a year.

"Young people and their parents are being asked to relieve the Government of its responsibility to properly fund our education system.

"This Labour Government is always taking more and more in taxes while giving less and less back.

"The Liberal Democrats have a long-standing commitment to scrap tuition fees and that is a campaign I whole-heartedly support."