Rents issue raised in Parliament

By Jo Dunlop

  From The Cambridge Student, 25th Nov 1999

THE CAMBRIDGE RENTS CAUSE was taken up by Labour back bencher Diane Abbott MP yesterday morning when she tabled an Early Day Motion on the subject.

The motion was drafted by CUSU Academic Affairs Officer, Daniel Blaney, in conjunction with Diane Abbott. It queries whether the rent increases should be viewed as "to-ups" - the name given to disparate charging between institutions made illegal by the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998. NUS President Andrew Pakes described such top-up fees as a threat to "end the principle of equality in higher education for good. It is the next step towards privatisation."

In order to determine collectively whether these increases amount to top-up fees Anne Campbell, MP for Cambridge, has called for the Department for Education and Employment to conduct its own survey to replace the one which the Colleges Committee agreed to carry out but has thus far not begun.

Ms Abbott was keen to address the access implications of rent rises at a higher level and the motion expresses these concerns, particularly in relation to applicants from "working-class and ethnic minority backgrounds".

Diane Abbott was the first black student to attend Newnham College. Current first year Alice Street said: "She led the way in breaking down Cambridge stereotypes, and it is good to see she is continuing to do so."

An Early Day Motion is left on the records of the House of Commons for MPs to sign to express their support. Such backing would add weight to the pressure brought by Diane Abbot and Anne Campbell to bring attention to the rents campaign at government level. CUSU is encouraging all Cambridge students to write to their local MPs requesting that they lend their support to this motion.