The letter, which is signed by the heads of some of the party’s leading organisations - including the Fabian Society and the Christian Socialist Movement - has been sent to all Labour MPs and calls on them to support the package on offer, which is both fair and able to deliver urgently needed funding to universities.
Amongst the 104 signatories are a wide spectrum of Labour Party activists from across the country, including council leaders, constituency officers and regional representatives, thus demonstrating the widespread support which the government’s higher education bill has among Labour’s grassroots. The letter urges the Parliamentary Labour Party to support the package on offer as ‘one that is both fair and will deliver urgently needed funding to universities.’
The letter continues, ‘Higher education needs an immediate, substantial and sustainable increase in funding if Labour is to meet its pledge to widen access and enable 50 percent of young people to go to university. The alternative is the Tory proposal to cut the number of student places. This plan will increase inequality and is bound to hit the hardest children from the poorest homes.’
Progress director Robert Philpot added, ‘There’s no question that Labour’s grassroots recognise this bill as fair to universities, students and taxpayers and entirely rooted in Labour’s values. That’s why they want Labour MPs to support it.
‘We are simply asking our party’s MPs to vote with the Labour government on Tuesday and not with a Tory party which wants to deprive hundreds of thousands of qualified young people a place at university.’
Text of letter, Monday 26 Jan 2004
While we recognise the genuine concerns which many members of the Parliamentary Labour Party have with the government’s higher education funding proposals, we urge them next week to support the package on offer as one which is both fair and will deliver urgently needed funding to universities.
In the midst of the debate over the last few weeks two key facts appear to have been lost.
First, higher education needs an immediate, substantial and sustainable increase in funding if Labour is to meet its pledge to widen access and enable 50 percent of young people to go to university. The alternative is the Tory proposal to cut the number of student places. This plan will increase inequality and is bound to hit hardest children from the poorest homes.
Second, the government’s package provides a range of measures which will benefit all students, but especially those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. We particularly welcome the abolition of upfront fees and the proposal that no graduate will begin repaying their fees until they are earning £15,000 a year. Repayment, too, will be fair and undertaken only at a rate graduates can afford.
Together with the government’s proposals to wipe out any remaining debt after 25 years and its pledge that 30 percent of the poorest full-time students will be guaranteed at least £3000 per year in fee remissions, grants and bursaries, we believe the bill is one which most Labour party members and MPs should feel comfortable supporting.
The following have all signed in an individual capacity.
Robert Philpot, Director, Progress
Ruth Turner, Vice chair, Progress, and Member of the Labour Party National Executive Committee
Sunder Katwala, General Secretary, The Fabian Society
Matt Browne, Director, Policy Network
Graham Dale, Director, Christian Socialist Movement
David Mencer, Director, Labour Friends of Israel
Azhar Ali, Member, National Policy Forum and Joint Policy Committee
Cllr Judith Anderson, Cumbria County Council
Jessica Asato, Chair, Young Fabians
Howard Balkind, Secretary, Salford CLP
Bert Bannister, Treasurer, Hemel Hempstead CLP
Nigel Base, Election Agent, Spelthorne CLP
Cllr Michael Boaden, Carlisle City Council;
Chair, Penrith and the Border CLP
Cllr Sir Albert Bore, Leader, Birmingham City Council
Margaret Broderick, Campaign Co-ordinator, Bury South CLP
Cllr Brian Brudis, North Tyneside Council; Secretary, Tynemouth CLP
Julian Bryant, Chair, Dartford CLP
Cllr Matthew Bryant, Dartford Borough Council
Liam Byrne, Member, Labour’s Campaign Team for Stechford & Yardley North, Birmingham
Tony Carroll, Secretary, Coventry South CLP
Sharon Charity, Chair, Devizes CLP
Rosemary Clarke, Treasurer and Women’s Officer, Bristol North West CLP
Cllr Paul Concannon, Northamptonshire County Council
Cllr Anthony Cotton, North Somerset Council
Margaret Coxage, Secretary, Hemel Hempstead CLP
Ron Coxage, Vice Chair and Membership Secretary, Hemel Hempstead CLP
Alan Davidson, Vice Chair and Membership Officer, Streatham CLP
Howard Dawber, Parliamentary Candidate, Cheadle 2001
Cllr Keith Dibble, Leader of the Labour Group, Rushmoor Borough Council
Cllr Alan Dobbie, Treasurer of the Labour Group, London Borough of Haringey
Steve Donnelly, Executive Committee, Ealing Acton & Shepherds Bush CLP
Cllr Peter Dowling, Liverpool City Council Shaun Ferridge, Youth and Student Officer, Rossendale and Darwen CLP
Cllr Ken Finch, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Robert Flello, Birmingham City Council
Cllr Bob Fleming, Leader, Sedgefield Borough Council
Cllr The Revd Paul Flowers, Bradford Metropolitan Council; Secretary, Bradford South CLP
Andrew Furlong, Secretary, Bosworth CLP
Cllr Bill Garrett, Leader of the Labour Group, Tynedale Council
Jennifer Gerber, Youth Officer, Streatham CLP
Phil Gregory, Secretary, Bristol North West CLP
Robin Hall, Executive Committee, Streatham CLP
Denise Hancock, Chair, Longholme Branch Labour Party, Rossendale and Darwen CLP
Jamie Hanley, Chair, Pudsey CLP
Cllr Steve Harker, Cabinet Member for Education, Darlington Borough Council
Michael Hassell, Vice Chair, Guildford CLP
Cllr June Hitchen, Manchester City Council
Derek Hodgson, former General Secretary, CWU; former Member, Labour Party National Executive Committee
David Holland, Secretary, Don Valley CLP
Sandra Holland, Treasurer, Don Valley CLP
Chris Jones, Executive Committee, Bath CLP
Stan Jones, Secretary, Liverpool West Derby CLP
Cllr Chris Jukes, Chester-le-Street District Council; North East CLP Representative, National Policy Forum
Cllr Peter Kileen, Liverpool City Council
Karen Landles, Membership Secretary, Epsom and Ewell CLP
Cllr Eleanor Lister, Darlington Borough Council
Joanna Lloyd, Treasurer, Hateley Heath Branch Labour Party, West Bromwich East CLP
Cllr Chris McEwan, Darlington Borough Council; Chair, Darlington CLP
Don McQueen, Chair, Bournemouth East CLP and Bournemouth West CLP
Kevin Meagher, Secretary, Bolton South East CLP
Gareth Millar, Executive Committee, Lancaster and Wyre CLP
Beryl Milnes, Chair, Hemel Hempstead CLP
Clare Moody, Chair, Salisbury CLP
Stephen Morgan, Vice Chair (Campaigns), Vauxhall CLP
Paul Murgatroyd, Treasurer, Manchester Gorton CLP
Anna Murphy, National Policy Forum Representative, Liverpool Riverside CLP
Cllr David Newell, Sedgefield Borough
Council Adrian Palmer, Membership Officer, St Mary’s Branch Labour Party, Bury South CLP
Cllr Sheila Peacock, London Borough of Haringey
Martin Phillips, Chair, Guildford District Labour Party
Cllr Sally Prentice, London Borough of Lambeth
Cllr Jamie Reed, Copeland Borough Council
Cllr Steve Reed, Leader of the Labour Group, London Borough of Lambeth
Paul Richards, Parliamentary Candidate, Lewes 2001
Cllr Bill Riley, Rossendale Borough Council
Cllr Don Rishton, Rossendale Borough Council
Peter Robinson, Chair, Stalybridge and Hyde CLP
Cllr Vince Romagnuolo, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council
Garry Rowley, Campaign Co-ordinator, Sunderland North CLP, Sunderland South CLP and Houghton and Washington East CLP
Janice Sharatt, Chair, Ince Branch Labour Party, Makerfield CLP
Suraj Sharma, Chair, Liverpool Garston CLP
Vic Silvester, Secretary, Warley CLP
Kate Skillicorn, Youth Student Officer, Copeland CLP
Cllr Dave Smith, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Cllr Stella Smith, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr John Smith, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
Lucy Smith, Youth Representative, North West Labour Party Regional Board
Cath Speight, National Industrial Equalities Officer, Amicus; Member of the National Policy Forum Education and Skills Policy Commission
Sue Stirling, Vice Chair, North East Labour Party Regional Board; Member of the National Policy Forum Health Policy Commission
Cllr Margaret Stock, Dartford Borough Council
Jo Tanner, Parliamentary Candidate, East Surrey 2001
Rita Taylor, Secretary, Sedgefield CLP
Cllr Bill Thomas, Leader, Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Paul Tinnion, Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council
Brian Tomlinson, General Committee and Local Government Committee Delegate, Battersea CLP
James Valentine, Eastern Region Delegate, National Policy Forum
Sarah Ward, Executive Committee, Croydon Central CLP
Cllr John Williams, Leader, Darlington Borough Council
David Williams, General Committee, Derby North CLP
Sue Williams, Treasurer, St Helens South CLP; North West Regional Board Representative
Cllr Elaine Woodburn, Leader, Copeland Borough Council
Cllr Paul Woodgate, London Borough of Ealing
John Woolley, Chair, Copeland CLP