From Poverty to University

Affecting news in today’s Evening Standard as it marks the fifth day of its ‘Dispossessed’ report, on those living below the poverty line in London, by listing some of the support its readers have offered to the people is has profiled during the course of its investigation.

The series has elicited much comment, hundreds of e-mails and letters, as well as a great deal of chest-beating from all three Party Leaders in yesterday’s edition. Each Party has much to say on how to take the most disadvantaged members of our society out of poverty, but not enough of this is couched in practical terms. It’s the old Blairite soundbite politics – aspirational sentences without verbs, without the actual ‘doing’ piece of the equation.

The case of Vincent, the eighteen year-old who cannot apply to University due to the lack of £19 to pay for his UCAS application seems particularly difficult to understand. This is a young man with a decent education (five GCSEs at A-C level) and realistic, defined aspirations who is being denied the right to attain his goals through extreme poverty.

Vincent, however, is fortunate. ‘Cam and Carole Spence from Walthamstow’ have taken it upon themselves to sponsor him – paying for his UCAS application, and offering stationary and book vouchers to help him on his way. All very noble, but we cannot expect every poverty-stricken student to get in touch with the press to further their educational aims. It is essential that young people such as Vincent be given the hand-up they need to excel.

Far be it from me to offer up unfunded spending promises (I AM a Conservative after all), but offering to pay the application fees to UCAS for people on Income Support would seem to make sense, particularly when the £19 is set against years of benefits that would potentially need to be paid out to such individuals. As a policy, it seems small fry as I sit here typing, but who knows what even one of the people helped under such a scheme could achieve.

So there you have it – a progressive, Conservative education pledge. If you want to apply to University and have decent grades, but cannot afford it then we will help pay your way. Are you listening Ken Clarke?