The rising pressure that university students face
The Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) found that the maximum annual maintenance loan covers only half the costs for first-year students.
Hepi recommends increasing maintenance support to a level that allows students a 'minimum socially acceptable standard of living', suggesting it should be pegged to inflation.
The report highlights that extensive part-time work negatively impacts students' academic engagement and overall university experience.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson acknowledged the cost-of-living pressures on students, stating the government is exploring options to provide better support.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
a minute ago
- Scottish Sun
Jeremy Clarkson launches new version of UK favourite product only available to customers of his pub
DIDDLY SQUIRT Jeremy Clarkson launches new version of UK favourite product only available to customers of his pub Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JEREMY Clarkson is to finally offer tomato ketchup to punters at his The Farmer's Dog boozer after a UK firm produced an all-British one. TV star Jezza, 65, will also flog bottles of the condiment at his Diddly Squat farm as it meets his UK-only ingredients condition. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 Jeremy Clarkson is to finally offer tomato ketchup to punters at his boozer after a UK firm produced an all-British one An Isle of Wight company took on the challenge after the subject arose on Clarkson's Farm. It came after thousands of requests for ketchup at Jezza's pub in Burford, Oxon, saw staff put up a sign urging diners not to bother asking for it. The firm, Condimaniac, uses Isle of Wight tomato passata, apple cider vinegar from Hants, Essex salt and British sugar and onions. Boss Kier Kemp said: 'Making a 100 per cent British ketchup after Jeremy Clarkson alerted us to the fact there wasn't one was very hard. "We had to put on our big boy pants.' The firm made 1,700 bottles for its first order to be sold at the pub's one-stop butcher and bottle shop and at Clarkson's farm in Chipping Norton. The firm's own supplies of the £7.95 red sauce have sold out. A source close to Clarkson's pub said: 'Jeremy and the team support the British food and farming industry. 'So he made no apologies for not selling ketchup, no matter how many times staff had to let customers down. 'But the pub's always said that if a British company could do it with all-British ingredients, it would get on the menu. Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan admits she is 'not making any money from farming' despite show appearance 'Hopefully it'll be a success.'
The Sun
2 minutes ago
- The Sun
One in 7 high street shops now stands empty… we don't need government tweaks to a broken system – we need radical reform
OUR high streets have had a tough time in recent years — battered by a global pandemic, war, energy shocks and soaring inflation. Yet despite it all, shops have kept going — serving their communities, creating jobs, and showing remarkable resilience. 3 3 But resilience isn't a plan for growth, and nostalgia won't pay the bills. If we are serious about bringing our high streets back to life, we need to stop papering over the cracks and fix the system for good. That means a tax regime built for today, not for the 1500s — a time before supermarkets, retail parks and the internet. Right now, retail accounts for just five per cent of the UK economy but pays more than 20 per cent of all business rates. That's an immense burden and it falls most heavily on the very businesses that invest in local places, local jobs and local people. It is no wonder that there were around 100,000 fewer jobs in retail at the start of 2025 than the year before, the equivalent of losing every job in the UK steel industry three times over. Since 2015, the sector has shed around 350,000 jobs, and new research suggests another 160,000 part-time roles could vanish if costs rise further — exactly the kinds of jobs that provide flexibility to hardworking families. Physical retailers are businesses that play by the rules, open their doors every morning and form the backbone of our communities. Meanwhile, online sales have more than doubled in the past decade. Why are so many shops going bust? At the height of the pandemic, they made up 37 per cent of all retail — and while that has dipped slightly since, online is still booming. Yet the digital giants face nothing like the same tax burden, and contribute next to nothing to the Government's tax receipts that pay for the NHS, our emergency services, roads and welfare. This clearly, is not fair. The health of the high street is also a bellwether for the health of the wider economy This is a system designed for a different age. Business rates were first introduced in the 1500s, when physical property was a proxy for wealth. Today, that logic just doesn't hold. We now see a massive imbalance that punishes our local communities. To be clear, this isn't about the high street asking for a handout. It's about giving retail a fair shot. Fair deal Our sector is the UK's largest private employer — supporting three million jobs; in sales, marketing, accounting, logistics and many more. Retail has all the career disciplines needed for a growing economy. The health of the high street is also a bellwether for the health of the wider economy. When shops shut, town centres hollow out. Footfall fell by 1.7 per cent in July, and one in seven high street units now stands empty. The ripple effect has an immediate impact on the community: nearby independents see sales fall, bus routes get quieter, and the whole centre loses momentum. That affects everything from local policing and public transport to housing demand and health outcomes. The Centre for Retail Research now predicts that store closures will rise to around 17,350 this year — the highest level in more than a decade. That is nearly 50 shops a day closing their doors for good, leaving empty units, boarded windows and fewer reasons for people to visit their town centres. The loss is not just economic — it chips away at the social fabric, reducing spaces where people meet, work and spend time. Once a shop shuts, it is far harder and costlier to bring it back, meaning each closure represents a long-term wound to the health of the high street. To their credit, the current Labour government has done more than its predecessors, with proposals to support smaller stores with targeted business rates relief, which are of course welcome. But we cannot end up with just tweaks to a system that needs radical reform and reset. You can't fix a broken model with just a few sticking plasters. We need to ask a bigger question: what should a modern, fair retail tax look like? One that reflects how we all actually shop, and one that rewards investment in jobs and premises. After everything the high street has been through, asking it to carry even more weight would be the final straw for many. The Government must ensure that no shop pays more in the upcoming Autumn Budget. Retail isn't asking to be saved, it's asking for the rules to be fair. If you give the high street a fair deal, it will more than repay you — with jobs, opportunity, and of course a vibrant local community. Let's not forget that a healthy high street with tills ringing means more money into the coffers of the Treasury, giving the economy a much needed boost to growth. Theo Paphitis, TV Dragon and owner of Ryman, Robert Dyas & Boux Avenue 3
The Sun
2 minutes ago
- The Sun
Jeremy Clarkson launches new version of UK favourite product only available to customers of his pub
JEREMY Clarkson is to finally offer tomato ketchup to punters at his The Farmer's Dog boozer after a UK firm produced an all-British one. TV star Jezza, 65, will also flog bottles of the condiment at his Diddly Squat farm as it meets his UK-only ingredients condition. An Isle of Wight company took on the challenge after the subject arose on Clarkson's Farm. It came after thousands of requests for ketchup at Jezza's pub in Burford, Oxon, saw staff put up a sign urging diners not to bother asking for it. The firm, Condimaniac, uses Isle of Wight tomato passata, apple cider vinegar from Hants, Essex salt and British sugar and onions. Boss Kier Kemp said: 'Making a 100 per cent British ketchup after Jeremy Clarkson alerted us to the fact there wasn't one was very hard. "We had to put on our big boy pants.' The firm made 1,700 bottles for its first order to be sold at the pub's one-stop butcher and bottle shop and at Clarkson's farm in Chipping Norton. The firm's own supplies of the £7.95 red sauce have sold out. A source close to Clarkson's pub said: 'Jeremy and the team support the British food and farming industry. 'So he made no apologies for not selling ketchup, no matter how many times staff had to let customers down. 'But the pub 's always said that if a British company could do it with all-British ingredients, it would get on the menu. Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan admits she is 'not making any money from farming' despite show appearance 'Hopefully it'll be a success.' 2
