The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement broke the link between CPI and increases in benefits. So the unintended effect of the rise in tuition fees – potentially wiping out the deficit reduction that the scheme was supposed to achieve – has been averted. But public service pensioners will still gain. Antony Mason explains…
Antony Mason
What’s going on with university admissions?
The latest figures showed an 11% fall in the number of students taking up places at British universities this year. Are higher tuition fees to blame? David Kingman investigates…
Youth Unemployment
Claire Lamont examines the current employment crisis among UK young people.
The Pound in Your Pocket: NUS research project on student finance
On Wednesday 5 December, the National Union of Students unveiled its major research project on student financial support, called “The Pound in Your Pocket”. Antony Mason attended the launch seminar at the Royal Society of Arts, London
Winter Fuel Payments: opposition mounts
In an age of austerity, handing out Winter Fuel Allowance payments to wealthy over-60s is beginning to look increasingly indefensible
Film Competition theme: Access to Higher Education
Claire Lamont provides some ideas to get you thinking
Talking about my generation
Mired in debt and a stagnant economy, Melissa Jane Knight tells us how the world looks if you’re in your late twenties – and urges all 16–30 year olds to put the case forward by entering the IF Film Competition
Young, Gifted and Broke? Our Film Competition
Liz Emerson explains why IF has launched the IF Film Competition, and raises some of the issues that should provoke young film makers to take up the challenge
Housing for the Younger Generation: Locked Out and No Way Back?
Liz Emerson lays out the causes of the current housing squeeze, why this matters profoundly to society at large, and what should be done about it.
Votes at 16
An article in The Spectator by Matthew Parris makes a compelling case for lowering the voting age. Recommended reading, says Antony Mason