Recently, MP Wera Hobhouse met with elected representatives from the Bath Spa University Students’ Union who described the stresses their peers are experiencing during the cost of living crisis. Mrs Hobhouse has raised the matter in Parliament in hopes that the Government will act so that students do not face severe financial difficulties.

Research conducted by the National Union of Students (NUS) paints a worrying picture as one in three students are living on just £50 a month after paying bills. The survey of 3,500 has revealed that dropout rates are 23% higher than last year.

The stats from the NUS survey displays the plight of those in higher education. 96% of students are cutting back on their spending, 11% are using foodbanks and 90% say that the ongoing crisis is affecting their mental health. When one considers that students are facing a real terms cut in their maintenance grant of 7.5%, it is obvious why those in higher education are feeling the pressure of the crisis so acutely. Mercy in Action, a local charity, has seen a fivefold increase in the number of young people and students needing to use the food pantry.

In Parliament, Wera Hobhouse MP highlighted how students are a vital part of all aspects of life in Bath including its economy. Lower expenditure by students will worry many local businesses. Nationally, students are responsible for over £80 billion of economic output.

The local universities are now providing hardship funds to try and compensate for the gap in support for students due to the lack of Government action. Many are demanding that the Government consider tying the student support with inflation and deliver urgent maintenance grants and bursaries to those who need them.

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse commented: “The results of the NUS survey are extremely distressing. The students contribute immensely to the life and culture of the city. It is deeply troubling to hear how the cost of living crisis is impacting many of them.

“Our great universities are trying to plug the gaps in Government funding with hardship funds and this should be rightly applauded. However, it should not be down to them. It is the Government’s responsibility to look after young people and students and they are failing in this. We must look urgently at implementing support packages for the youth of today so they can get through university and give themselves the chance at a better future.”