News story
9th July 2003
Local Voices to be Heard at Westminster Over Top-Up Fees
Steve Webb with Northavon students at
Westminster
In a unique exercise in “e-democracy”, Northavon MP Steve Webb will next
week reveal in a Westminster debate the results of an e-mail poll of
hundreds of Northavon residents on the subject of top-up tuition fees
for students. The MP polled local residents earlier this year by asking
whether people agreed or disagreed with the Government’s policy of
increased funding for higher education by allowing individual
universities to charge higher fees than the present flat-rate tuition
fee. Responses were invited by letter, text message or e-mail, and well
over 500 local people responded, principally by e-mail.
Now, the Northavon MP will open a 90 minute debate at Westminster
next Wednesday (16th July at 2pm) by reporting the result of this poll
and by reading out excerpts from the large number of responses that he
has received. This is believed to be the first time that an “e-poll” on
this scale has been conducted by an individual MP and reported to
Parliament. Since the MP conducted his poll in February of this year,
many more local residents have now joined the e-mail group, and nearly
1200 local people are now able to be consulted at the touch of a button,
to complement more traditional methods of contacting an MP.
Speaking in advance of the debate, Steve Webb said:
“I am delighted to be leading this debate on top-up fees next week. The
results of my consultation show that local people feel passionately
about this issue, and many gave me very well-informed and
thought-provoking reasons for their views. I am especially pleased that
local people will be able to see that when they tell their MP what they
think, these views are not ignored but are heard in the corridors of
power. I would welcome anyone else who has access to e-mail or a mobile
phone to join my consultation group, and I will, of course, continue to
welcome letters and calls to my office from anyone who feels strongly
about this or any other issue”.
WHAT DO YOU THINK about this issue?
Click here to let me know your views ahead of the debate.
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