Comment: It’s Freshers Week

Over the next few weeks, thousands of students will be heading off to universities across the country and feeling the excitement, uncertainty and opportunity that comes with Freshers Week. Many will be arriving here at the University of Chichester, and as a former Chichester student myself, I remember that bundle of nerves and anticipation all too well.

Jess Brown-Fuller at the cross in Chichester

I’d like to warmly welcome all those new students starting their university journey in our city. Chichester is a wonderful place to study, and I hope students take every opportunity to enjoy all that the city has to offer over the years ahead.

Students make an enormous contribution to our community. They support local businesses and our high streets, help sustain Chichester’s night-time economy through its bars, restaurants and music venues, whilst developing the skills and knowledge that will help shape their future careers and contribute to our economy.

But I’m also acutely aware that, whilst university remains a life-changing opportunity for so many young people, it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to make ends meet. Many are struggling to find part-time jobs that can provide valuable work experience and a vital source of income at a time of rising food, energy and housing costs. 

And upon graduation, young people are entering one of the toughest job markets in years. This is not only true in Chichester, risking an exodus of talent and skills from our city, but a worrying national picture. UK graduate job vacancies have plunged to their lowest level in a decade, which, combined with an unfair student loan repayment system, means many graduates are entering a job market that too often feels stacked against them.

This is why I have repeatedly raised concerns in Parliament about the way student loans operate, particularly the impact on women and those with caring responsibilities. Under the current system, interest continues to accrue during periods of maternity leave and reduced income, effectively penalising women just because they want to start a family. Labour’s freezing of repayment thresholds only adds to that burden and amounts to yet another stealth tax on graduates.

The Government should start by listening to Liberal Democrat calls to end the repayment threshold freeze and create an independent watchdog to oversee student loans, preventing governments from repeatedly changing the rules and moving the goalposts for graduates.

We would also restore maintenance grants worth up to £3,500 a year for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping ensure that young people from lower-income backgrounds can access higher education and graduate with less debt.

Higher education should be about expanding opportunity, not saddling young people with ever greater financial pressures. So, as students begin this new chapter, they deserve not only our welcome, but a deal that supports them throughout their studies and beyond.