Time to Axe Tuition Fees, says Madeleine Kirk

12.55.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 18th Aug 2009

Following the news that new students will graduate with £23,000 of debt, Prospective Liberal Democrat MP for York Outer, Madeleine Kirk, has repeated her call for tuition fees to be scrapped.

Madeleine said: "This is an unacceptable burden to impose on young people. 'm sure the many young people in our area nervously waiting for their A Level results will read this story in horror.

"We must also bear in mind the effect these huge fees have on the thousands of parents of students in York and the surrounding villages as they are the ones often relied upon to bear much of the cost.

"In poorer families especially, and 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."