Browne Review
Encyclopedia
The Browne Review or Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance was a review to consider the future direction of higher education funding in England
. It was launched on the 9 November 2009 and published its findings on 12 October 2010. It was chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley
, the former chief executive of BP
. It recommended wide-ranging changes to the system of university funding, including removing the cap on the level of fees that universities can charge, and increasing the income level at which graduates must begin to pay back their loans to £21,000.
The Browne Review made its first call for evidence in December 2009. Times Higher Education reported that the reviews themes were "participation rates, the quality of the higher education system and affordability for students and the state".
The survey focussed on how much participants would be willing to pay if fees were restructured. It asked 80 school pupils, 40 parents, 40 early-year University students, and 18 part-time students from various backgrounds for their opinion on University funding. Participants of the survey were posed questions on an upper-limit on fees of £6,000 per-annum, and did not discuss a reduction in state support for University teaching. The report acknowledges the small sample size, and states:
in 2009, but did not report until after the 2010 General Election. No party won the election outright, and after negotiations the Conservative
and Liberal Democrat
parties formed a coalition government. The Coalition Agreement
gave the Liberal Democrats, who had campaigned against fee increases, the right to abstain from any vote to increase tuition fees. In this case, the effective majority of the Conservatives would fall to 24, meaning that the government could potentially be defeated by a rebellion of 12 of its own MPs.
The Labour Party manifesto for the 2010 General Election promised extra University places but made no commitment on how much students would have to pay. During the Labour Party leadership election in 2010 following the resignation of Gordon Brown
both Ed Balls
and the eventual winner Ed Milliband came out in support of a graduate tax
as a method of funding universities in the future. David Miliband
was the only candidate in the leadership election not to support a graduate tax.
The Liberal Democrats had promised to abolish tuition fees over 6 years. All the elected Liberal Democrat MPs, as well as a number of others, also signed the NUS Vote for Students pledge
, promising to vote against any proposed increase in fees.
has stated that the issue of fees could split the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government while reiterating the opposition of the Liberal Democrats to tuition fees. The MP for the student-populated Leeds North West, Greg Mulholland
, is considered to be the leader of a backbench rebellion against the review that is indicated to have the support of at least thirty Liberal Democrats.
The National Union of Students have criticised the Liberal Democrats position. NUS President-elect Aaron Porter has stated:“Liberal Democrat candidates made an en masse cast-iron commitment by signing our pledge to vote against any rise in tuition fees in the next Parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative.They were elected to Parliament on that basis and are now duty-bound to honour their promises. It would be intolerable for those MPs to backtrack on their personal pledges to voters.” Liberal Youth have urged MPs to uphold their pledge. However Universities UK welcomed the “pragmatic and realistic” agreement between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.
In July 2010 it was reported that a graduate tax
was seriously being considered by Vince Cable although a senior Conservative anonymously briefed against Mr Cable stating it was "unlikely" that a graduate tax would be adopted. Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
has also backed a graduate tax.
have stated that there should be an increase in the cap to generate competition between universities. Wendy Piatt, head of the Russell Group Universities has stated that current levels of funding are not adequate if Universities are to remain globally competitive. The 1994 Group have called for the review to ensure that cost does not prevent people from attending University and for a focus on the student experience.
Million+ have stated that students should not be asked to pay more for cuts in public funding and Unions 94 have called for more progressive alternatives to variable tuition fees.
The University and Colleges Union have stated that lifting the cap on tuition fees would be 'the most regressive piece of education policy since the war' and suggest replacing fees with a Business Education Tax.
In their second submission to the Browne Review the Russell Group
stated that lifting the cap on tuition fees was the only “viable and fair” way of financing higher education and that the “liberalisation of the fee regime” was a future aim.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies
concludes in its submission that: “Increasing fees without increasing loans and/or grants by the same value or more will result in a negative impact on participation".
The British Medical Association
has warned that increasing tuition fees could land medical students with debts in excess of ₤90,000.00, as medical degrees are longer and give students less time to partake in part time work.
The review rejects the option of a graduate tax
, because there would be a large funding gap in the short term. It estimates that if all new students from 2012 paid 3% graduate tax after graduation, the tax would not provide sufficient revenue to fund higher education until 2041-42. The review also argues that a graduate tax would weaken the independence of universities, which would become entirely dependent on the government for funding. It argues that its own proposals would force universities to improve standards to compete for students: their relationship with students would become more important to universities than their relationship with government.
announced new government proposals following the review. The proposals incorporate many features of Lord Browne’s recommendations: loans would be offered to all students to cover fees, to be repaid only when graduates are earning over £21,000, at a rate of 9%, written off after 30 years; part-time students would be entitled to loans on a similar basis to full-time students; there would be a real interest rate with a progressive taper.
But in a break with the review’s proposals, the government proposed an absolute cap on fees of £9000 per year. Universities charging fees of over £6000 per year would be required to contribute to a National Scholarships program. There would be a tougher regime of sanctions encouraging these universities to widen access.
There will be further consultation on early repayment systems, to avoid richer graduates gaining an unfair advantage by ‘buying themselves out’ of the system.
The government intends to implement the changes in time for the 2012/13 academic year.
. The Labour Party opposed the fee increase and Conservatives mostly agreed. Liberal Democrats MPs voted both ways, with 28 voting for, 21 against and 8 not voting. Liberal Democrat ministers voted for the change; Jenny Willott
and Mike Crockart resigned as PPS
to vote against the increase. Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats Simon Hughes
abstained.
The Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition agreement
states that "If the response of the Government to Lord Browne’s report is one that Liberal Democrats cannot accept, then arrangements will be made to enable Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain in any vote". and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg
considered a mass abstention of the Liberal Democrat party on the issue in order to prevent a three-way split within the party.
The minister responsible for the proposals was Business Secretary and Liberal Democrat Vince Cable. Cable gave a number of contradictory accounts of whether he would vote in favour or abstain from voting.
as "one of New Labour's favourite businessmen". Two Vice-Chancellors and a civil servant who advised the government on the introduction of the current fee regime also form part of the team conducting the review.
The Daily Mail
report that Lord Browne is a close friend of Reinaldo Avila da Silva, the long term partner of Peter Mandelson
who appointed Lord Browne to oversee the review. After the 2010 General Election Lord Browne accepted a role as the Government's Lead Non-Executive Director' to advise on the appointment of business leaders to reformed departmental boards. Sally Hunt
of the University and College Union
has criticised the independence of Lord Browne in the review process: "Accepting a job from David Cameron, a man who made it quite clear during the election campaign that he wanted university fees to stay, clearly brings the legitimacy of the review's independence into question. In the interest of this review retaining any legitimacy he should resign."
rejected the suggestion that he is a representative of student interests, stating "I don't feel at all as if I represent only the student constituency, just as the other members aren't looking out for special interests". In November 2009 Liberal Democrat Universities Spokesperson Stephen Williams
stated: "The lack of student representatives is particularly concerning as it is these people who will really suffer if fees are raised. It is disgraceful that there hasn't been an opportunity to scrutinise the make-up of the review’s panel or its remit in Parliament.”
Sally Hunt of the University and College Union criticised the lack of employee representation on the panel, suggesting that, by contrast, business and employer interests had a lot of representation.
suggested that the Browne Review which had been expected to report in the summer would be delayed until the Autumn so as to avoid opponents causing trouble over fees during the party conference season.
stated: "There is a real danger that this review will pave the way for higher fees and a market in prices that would see poorer students priced out of more prestigious universities and other students and universities consigned to the 'bargain basement'".
In July 2010 Labour MP Pat McFadden
criticized anonymous briefings from the Conservative Party against the possibility of a graduate tax
, a policy which had been mooted by Liberal Democrat Vince Cable. He stated: "It is completely shambolic for the Lib Dem secretary of state to make a speech advocating one policy one week then for a Tory briefing to point in a different direction a week late....Discussion of higher education finance within the coalition is now being governed more by managing the internal politics of the government than the interests of students, universities or the wider taxpayer."
Oxford University Student Union
criticized the fact that the Russell Group's submission the Browne review was confidential with a freedom of information request being rejected.
, including all current Liberal Democrat MPs.
The pledge states:
The government proposals in November led to student protests
in London and across the UK. There was particular anger that high profile Lib Dem politicians who had long been opposed to tuition fees, including its leader Nick Clegg
, seemed to be reneging on the pledge.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was launched on the 9 November 2009 and published its findings on 12 October 2010. It was chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley
John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley
Edmund John Philip Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley, FRS FREng is President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and was group Chief Executive of BP until his resignation on 1 May 2007...
, the former chief executive of BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
. It recommended wide-ranging changes to the system of university funding, including removing the cap on the level of fees that universities can charge, and increasing the income level at which graduates must begin to pay back their loans to £21,000.
Scope
According to Lord Mandelson the review would consider "balance of contributions to universities by taxpayers, students, graduates and employers" to University finances. The review would consider how much students should be charged for attending University. The panel was told to take into account the goal of widening participation. The panel would report its findings after the 2010 General Election. The review had been promised in 2004 in order to try and win over Labour rebels who nearly rejected the Bill which introduced £3,000 a year fees. The review would consider other issues including simplifying the system of student finance and bursary arrangements.The Browne Review made its first call for evidence in December 2009. Times Higher Education reported that the reviews themes were "participation rates, the quality of the higher education system and affordability for students and the state".
Background Research
The Browne Review spent £68,000 on research, from a research budget of £120,000. The majority of the expenditure funded one unpublished opinion survey of students and parents.The survey focussed on how much participants would be willing to pay if fees were restructured. It asked 80 school pupils, 40 parents, 40 early-year University students, and 18 part-time students from various backgrounds for their opinion on University funding. Participants of the survey were posed questions on an upper-limit on fees of £6,000 per-annum, and did not discuss a reduction in state support for University teaching. The report acknowledges the small sample size, and states:
- The findings are not statistically robust and should not be treated as such.
Interim findings
In March 2010 the review published its initial findings stating that it had found "clear agreement" that the current level of fees had not deterred students but that the system of finance for part time students was inadequate. The panel also found:- clear evidence that bursaries are not understood by students early enough to have a substantial impact on their choices
- consensus that potential students need better information, advice and guidance, including information on the teaching experience they can expect on different courses
- some concerns that a minority of students are deterred by top-up fees
- that there has been progress over the past five years in widening participation to higher education, but that this has been less marked at the most selective universities
Political positions
The Browne Review was set up by LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in 2009, but did not report until after the 2010 General Election. No party won the election outright, and after negotiations the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
parties formed a coalition government. The Coalition Agreement
Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement
The Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement was a policy document drawn up following the 2010 general election in the United Kingdom...
gave the Liberal Democrats, who had campaigned against fee increases, the right to abstain from any vote to increase tuition fees. In this case, the effective majority of the Conservatives would fall to 24, meaning that the government could potentially be defeated by a rebellion of 12 of its own MPs.
Labour
Lord Mandelson, the former Business Secretary who set up the review into higher education funding, hinted in July 2009 at a tuition fee rise stating that excellence in higher education was "not cheap" and that the country "had to face up to the challenge of paying for excellence".The Labour Party manifesto for the 2010 General Election promised extra University places but made no commitment on how much students would have to pay. During the Labour Party leadership election in 2010 following the resignation of Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
both Ed Balls
Ed Balls
Edward Michael Balls, known as Ed Balls, is a British Labour politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 2005, currently for Morley and Outwood, and is the current Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer....
and the eventual winner Ed Milliband came out in support of a graduate tax
Graduate tax
A graduate tax is a proposed method of financing higher education. It has been proposed in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.-Background:...
as a method of funding universities in the future. David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
was the only candidate in the leadership election not to support a graduate tax.
Conservatives
The Conservatives have said that they will "consider carefully" the outcome of the review. In June 2010 David Willets stated that under the current arrangements students were a "burden on the taxpayer that had to be tackled" although he also stated he did not want to pre-empt the findings of Lord Browne.Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats have traditionally supported free higher education but downgraded this pledge because it was seen to be an unaffordable spending commitment.The Liberal Democrats had promised to abolish tuition fees over 6 years. All the elected Liberal Democrat MPs, as well as a number of others, also signed the NUS Vote for Students pledge
Vote for Students pledge
The National Union of Students "Vote for Students" pledge is a pledge to vote against tuition fee increases that was signed by over 1000 candidates standing in the UK general election in 2010, notably including all 57 subsequently elected Liberal Democrat MPs.-The pledge:The pledge states:The NUS...
, promising to vote against any proposed increase in fees.
Coalition Government
However, in a policy compromise, the Liberal Democrats agreed to abstain on a vote to increase fees as part of a Liberal-Conservative coalition government which emerged after the 2010 General Election. This would allow the Conservatives to pass an increase in tuition fees or even the removal of the cap on fees without the Liberal Democrats voting them down. The chief executive of Universities UK, Nicola Dandridge, has stated that senior Liberal Democrats have told them that they consider their election manifesto pledge to be "complete nonsense" and that the "visceral" opposition to fees from the party base was not shared by senior figures. Former Liberal Democrat leader Ming Campbell has said that he is "likely" to honour the pledge he made to his constituents and rebel against his party by voting against a rise in fees and newly elected Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Simon HughesSimon Hughes
Simon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
has stated that the issue of fees could split the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government while reiterating the opposition of the Liberal Democrats to tuition fees. The MP for the student-populated Leeds North West, Greg Mulholland
Greg Mulholland
Gregory Thomas Mulholland is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom, and is the Member of Parliament for Leeds North West. He was first elected at the 2005 general election, winning the seat from Labour and was re-elected with an increased majority at the 2010 general election. Before...
, is considered to be the leader of a backbench rebellion against the review that is indicated to have the support of at least thirty Liberal Democrats.
The National Union of Students have criticised the Liberal Democrats position. NUS President-elect Aaron Porter has stated:“Liberal Democrat candidates made an en masse cast-iron commitment by signing our pledge to vote against any rise in tuition fees in the next Parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative.They were elected to Parliament on that basis and are now duty-bound to honour their promises. It would be intolerable for those MPs to backtrack on their personal pledges to voters.” Liberal Youth have urged MPs to uphold their pledge. However Universities UK welcomed the “pragmatic and realistic” agreement between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.
In July 2010 it was reported that a graduate tax
Graduate tax
A graduate tax is a proposed method of financing higher education. It has been proposed in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.-Background:...
was seriously being considered by Vince Cable although a senior Conservative anonymously briefed against Mr Cable stating it was "unlikely" that a graduate tax would be adopted. Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
has also backed a graduate tax.
Submissions and lobbying
The Russell Group's submission to the review stated that graduates should pay real rates of interest on their student loans to prevent a university funding crisis. The 1994 Group1994 Group
The 1994 Group is a coalition of 19 top "smaller research-intensive universities" in the United Kingdom founded in 1994 to defend their interests following the creation of the Russell Group by larger research-intensive universities earlier that year...
have stated that there should be an increase in the cap to generate competition between universities. Wendy Piatt, head of the Russell Group Universities has stated that current levels of funding are not adequate if Universities are to remain globally competitive. The 1994 Group have called for the review to ensure that cost does not prevent people from attending University and for a focus on the student experience.
Million+ have stated that students should not be asked to pay more for cuts in public funding and Unions 94 have called for more progressive alternatives to variable tuition fees.
The University and Colleges Union have stated that lifting the cap on tuition fees would be 'the most regressive piece of education policy since the war' and suggest replacing fees with a Business Education Tax.
In their second submission to the Browne Review the Russell Group
Russell Group
The Russell Group is a collaboration of twenty UK universities that together receive two-thirds of research grant and contract funding in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994 to represent their interests to the government, parliament and other similar bodies...
stated that lifting the cap on tuition fees was the only “viable and fair” way of financing higher education and that the “liberalisation of the fee regime” was a future aim.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies
Institute for Fiscal Studies
The Institute for Fiscal Studies is an economic research institute based in London, United Kingdom which specialises in UK taxation and public policy...
concludes in its submission that: “Increasing fees without increasing loans and/or grants by the same value or more will result in a negative impact on participation".
The British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
has warned that increasing tuition fees could land medical students with debts in excess of ₤90,000.00, as medical degrees are longer and give students less time to partake in part time work.
Findings
The Browne Review published its findings on the 12th October 2010. The recommendations include:- Removing the current £3,290 per year cap on the tuition fees that universities can charge to students. There would be no cap on the fees that an institution could charge.
- The government would provide upfront loans to cover tuition fees and living costs of students. Means tested grants would be available for students from lower income families.
- Students would repay the loans after graduation, and only when they are earning more than £21,000. Repayments would be made at a rate of 9% on any income above £21,000. Any debt not repaid after 30 years would be written off. For comparison, the current system demands repayments of 9% on income above £15,000, and debt is written off after 25 years.
- Part time students would no longer have to pay upfront tuition fees, and would instead be eligible for loans.
The review rejects the option of a graduate tax
Graduate tax
A graduate tax is a proposed method of financing higher education. It has been proposed in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.-Background:...
, because there would be a large funding gap in the short term. It estimates that if all new students from 2012 paid 3% graduate tax after graduation, the tax would not provide sufficient revenue to fund higher education until 2041-42. The review also argues that a graduate tax would weaken the independence of universities, which would become entirely dependent on the government for funding. It argues that its own proposals would force universities to improve standards to compete for students: their relationship with students would become more important to universities than their relationship with government.
Subsequent government proposals
On 3 November 2010, David WillettsDavid Willetts
David Linsay Willetts is a British Conservative Party politician and the Minister of State for Universities and Science. He is the Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire.-Education:...
announced new government proposals following the review. The proposals incorporate many features of Lord Browne’s recommendations: loans would be offered to all students to cover fees, to be repaid only when graduates are earning over £21,000, at a rate of 9%, written off after 30 years; part-time students would be entitled to loans on a similar basis to full-time students; there would be a real interest rate with a progressive taper.
But in a break with the review’s proposals, the government proposed an absolute cap on fees of £9000 per year. Universities charging fees of over £6000 per year would be required to contribute to a National Scholarships program. There would be a tougher regime of sanctions encouraging these universities to widen access.
There will be further consultation on early repayment systems, to avoid richer graduates gaining an unfair advantage by ‘buying themselves out’ of the system.
The government intends to implement the changes in time for the 2012/13 academic year.
Vote on maximum tuition fees
The Parliamentary vote on increasing the maximum tuition fees was held on 9 December 2010, following a week of protests2010 UK student protests
The 2010 UK student protests were a series of demonstrations that began in November 2010 in several areas of the United Kingdom, with the focal point of protests centred in London. The initial event was the largest student protest in the UK since the Labour government first proposed the Teaching...
. The Labour Party opposed the fee increase and Conservatives mostly agreed. Liberal Democrats MPs voted both ways, with 28 voting for, 21 against and 8 not voting. Liberal Democrat ministers voted for the change; Jenny Willott
Jenny Willott
Jennifer Nancy Willott is a British politician and the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central since the 2005 general election. She is the first woman and the first Liberal Democrat to represent her seat....
and Mike Crockart resigned as PPS
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to vote against the increase. Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats Simon Hughes
Simon Hughes
Simon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
abstained.
The Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition agreement
Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement
The Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement was a policy document drawn up following the 2010 general election in the United Kingdom...
states that "If the response of the Government to Lord Browne’s report is one that Liberal Democrats cannot accept, then arrangements will be made to enable Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain in any vote". and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
considered a mass abstention of the Liberal Democrat party on the issue in order to prevent a three-way split within the party.
The minister responsible for the proposals was Business Secretary and Liberal Democrat Vince Cable. Cable gave a number of contradictory accounts of whether he would vote in favour or abstain from voting.
Criticisms
Criticisms before the release of the review findings
The Browne Review has been the subject of several criticisms related to its perceived lack of independence, lack of Parliamentary scrutiny and lack of representativeness.Independence
The independence of the review has been questioned. Lord Browne has been described by The TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
as "one of New Labour's favourite businessmen". Two Vice-Chancellors and a civil servant who advised the government on the introduction of the current fee regime also form part of the team conducting the review.
The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
report that Lord Browne is a close friend of Reinaldo Avila da Silva, the long term partner of Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
who appointed Lord Browne to oversee the review. After the 2010 General Election Lord Browne accepted a role as the Government's Lead Non-Executive Director' to advise on the appointment of business leaders to reformed departmental boards. Sally Hunt
Sally Hunt
Sally Hunt is the General Secretary of the University and College Union . Prior to the UCU coming into existence on June 1, 2006, she was the last General Secretary of the Association of University Teachers , having held that post since 2002...
of the University and College Union
University and College Union
The University and College Union is a British trade union formed by the merger in 2006 of the Association of University Teachers and the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education ....
has criticised the independence of Lord Browne in the review process: "Accepting a job from David Cameron, a man who made it quite clear during the election campaign that he wanted university fees to stay, clearly brings the legitimacy of the review's independence into question. In the interest of this review retaining any legitimacy he should resign."
Representativeness
There is no student representation on the Browne Review: the youngest member of the review panel Rajay NaikRajay Naik
Rajay Naik is a member of the Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance. He is a former Chairman of the British Youth Council. He attended Blue Coat School as a Howard Crawshaw scholar.-References:...
rejected the suggestion that he is a representative of student interests, stating "I don't feel at all as if I represent only the student constituency, just as the other members aren't looking out for special interests". In November 2009 Liberal Democrat Universities Spokesperson Stephen Williams
Stephen Williams (politician)
Stephen Roy Williams is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Bristol West in the 2005 general election, being re-elected with an increased majority in May 2010...
stated: "The lack of student representatives is particularly concerning as it is these people who will really suffer if fees are raised. It is disgraceful that there hasn't been an opportunity to scrutinise the make-up of the review’s panel or its remit in Parliament.”
Sally Hunt of the University and College Union criticised the lack of employee representation on the panel, suggesting that, by contrast, business and employer interests had a lot of representation.
Timing
The Liberal Democrats criticised the fact that the panel would not report its findings until after the General Election. BBC education journalist Mike BakerMike Baker (journalist)
Mike Baker was the BBC's Education Correspondent from 1989 until 2007. Before that he was a BBC Political Correspondent from 1980 to 1989. He also spent brief periods as a Foreign Correspondent and Deputy Home News Editor at the BBC. Baker is currently a regular columnist for BBC News Online, The...
suggested that the Browne Review which had been expected to report in the summer would be delayed until the Autumn so as to avoid opponents causing trouble over fees during the party conference season.
Other criticisms
The National Union of Students warned the review could create a market based system of higher education. In 2009, then NUS President Wes StreetingWes Streeting
Wesley "Wes" Paul William Streeting is Chief Executive of the Helena Kennedy Foundation, an educational charity that promotes access to higher education to students from further education colleges through bursaries, mentoring and work placements...
stated: "There is a real danger that this review will pave the way for higher fees and a market in prices that would see poorer students priced out of more prestigious universities and other students and universities consigned to the 'bargain basement'".
In July 2010 Labour MP Pat McFadden
Pat McFadden (British politician)
Patrick Bosco McFadden is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South East since 2005...
criticized anonymous briefings from the Conservative Party against the possibility of a graduate tax
Graduate tax
A graduate tax is a proposed method of financing higher education. It has been proposed in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.-Background:...
, a policy which had been mooted by Liberal Democrat Vince Cable. He stated: "It is completely shambolic for the Lib Dem secretary of state to make a speech advocating one policy one week then for a Tory briefing to point in a different direction a week late....Discussion of higher education finance within the coalition is now being governed more by managing the internal politics of the government than the interests of students, universities or the wider taxpayer."
Oxford University Student Union
Oxford University Student Union
The Oxford University Student Union is the official students' union of the University of Oxford. It is better known in Oxford by its acronym, OUSU . It exists to represent Oxford University students in the University's decision-making, to act as the voice for students in the national higher...
criticized the fact that the Russell Group's submission the Browne review was confidential with a freedom of information request being rejected.
Criticisms of subsequent government proposals
Analysis by the Chartered Institute for Taxation found most graduates will pay off their debt for the rest of their lives if they repay at the lowest possible rate due to the way the debt will increase by RPI inflation plus 3% over the years that the graduates repay it. Someone starting on £21,000 and seeing their salary increase by 5% a year would end up paying £64,239 over 30 years, with an unpaid debt of £26,406 at the end of their working lives. This also suggests that the national debt may increase rather than fall as a result of the new system.Opposition
Over 1000 candidates standing at the 2010 General Election signed a pledge to vote against any increase in tuition feesVote for Students pledge
The National Union of Students "Vote for Students" pledge is a pledge to vote against tuition fee increases that was signed by over 1000 candidates standing in the UK general election in 2010, notably including all 57 subsequently elected Liberal Democrat MPs.-The pledge:The pledge states:The NUS...
, including all current Liberal Democrat MPs.
The pledge states:
“I pledge to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative”
The government proposals in November led to student protests
2010 UK student protests
The 2010 UK student protests were a series of demonstrations that began in November 2010 in several areas of the United Kingdom, with the focal point of protests centred in London. The initial event was the largest student protest in the UK since the Labour government first proposed the Teaching...
in London and across the UK. There was particular anger that high profile Lib Dem politicians who had long been opposed to tuition fees, including its leader Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
, seemed to be reneging on the pledge.
Members of the Review Group
- Lord Browne of Madingley - Former BP Chief. It is Browne's most high profile appointment since being forced to quit BP after being found to have lied in court.
- Sir Michael BarberSir Michael BarberSir Michael Barber is currently the Chief Education Advisor to [], the world's largest learning company. In the past, Sir Michael served as a partner and head of the global education practice at McKinsey, advisor to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and a global expert on education reform and...
- Advisor to former Labour Education Minister David Blunkett - Diane CoyleDiane CoyleDiane Coyle, OBE , is a freelance economist, and a former advisor to the UK Treasury. She is a member of the UK Competition Commission and Vice Chairman of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation....
- Former Treasury economist - David EastwoodDavid EastwoodProfessor David Stephen Eastwood is a British academic who became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham on 13 April 2009, taking over from Professor Michael Sterling upon the latter's retirement. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England ,...
- Vice Chancellor of Birmingham University - Julia KingJulia KingJulia King CBE FREng is the Vice-Chancellor of Aston University.King graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in natural sciences. Her PhD degree, also from Cambridge, was in materials...
- Vice Chancellor of Aston UniversityAston UniversityAston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966... - Rajay NaikRajay NaikRajay Naik is a member of the Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance. He is a former Chairman of the British Youth Council. He attended Blue Coat School as a Howard Crawshaw scholar.-References:...
- Board Member of the Big Lottery FundBig Lottery FundThe Big Lottery Fund is a grant-making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer the funding of "good causes" following the creation of the National Lottery. It has an annual expenditure of £630 million... - Peter SandsPeter Sands (banker)Peter Sands is a British banker. Since November 2006 he is chief executive officer of Standard Chartered plc.- Early Life :...
- CEO of Standard Chartered BankStandard Chartered BankStandard Chartered PLC is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom with operations in more than seventy countries...