A £180 million bursary scheme to help the poorest teenagers has been welcomed by the Liberal Democrat MP for  Cambridge, Julian Huppert. 

The scheme will replace the Education Maintenance Allowance bringing a guaranteed payment of £1,200 a year for the most vulnerable teenagers and a discretionary fund for schools and colleges to hand out.

 Julian said:

“This decision means that those students currently at Cambridge Regional College and Long Road should not have to review their decisions on staying at college in Cambridge.

“This post-16 bursary will pay for travel, lunch and equipment for thousands of students  nationally,” said Julian. “The poorest youngsters will receive more help to stay in education than they used to get under EMA which is the way it should be – we should help the worst off most!

“There’s enough money so that, for example, any child eligible for free school meals could receive an extra £800 a year to stay on in full time education. Young people who were getting the full EMA will continue to get financial support to help them out.

“This is something that really matters to young people in Cambridge and across the country as my colleague Simon Hughes has found. It is Lib Dem pressure, coordinated by him, that ensured that there was more money available for this than there would have been otherwise.

“It is crucial that we keep young people in education and this new scheme will give the poorest and most vulnerable young people a chance to continue beyond 16.”

Cambridge City Councillor and member of Liberal Democrats’ Federal Policy Committee, Julie Smith said, ‘I welcome the announcement that the government has found sufficient funding to ensure that no young person will be prevented from further education because of travel costs.

“While we acknowledge that the total sum available is less than the EMA, it will be targeted to help those who need it most, including children leaving care, teenage parents and young people with severe disabilities, who will now be eligible for a £1,200 bursary each year, more than anyone has been getting from EMA currently.”