The big bribe?

Homepaddock quotes Colin Espiner on what may be Labour’s big bribe:

It is understood Labour is considering a massive boost to the student allowance scheme, including a payment of some $350 a week for study courses of 35 hours a week or more. That would put student allowances far ahead of any other standard benefit payment. It would cost a lot of money, but may not have the same impact as interest-free loans did in 2005.

This would of course be popular with students, but not graduates so much. How many courses are over 35 hours a week? Not the BAs that is for sure 🙂

Where I would like to see a change to student allowances is parental means testing. I think it is quite wrong that students in their 20s are means tested on their parents income instead of their own. That would have been a far more logical thing to do than interest free loans which just encourage unnecessary borrowing.