Listed buildings and oh, more on fees…
Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 10:03pm
2 responses
A relatively busy day at the Assembly today. The petitions committee took evidence from the campaigners that want to save the Vulcan pub in Cardiff, and also we heard from Cadw on their role in potentially listing the building, and thus going some way to retaining the building in its current form and location.
So far 5,000 have signed the petition to save the Vulcan including the likes of James Dean Bradfield, Neil Kinnock and the Rhondda author Rachel Trezise. The next stage is for us as a committee to carry out a site visit with the developer and the architect (if they are ready and willing), and to discuss how it could possibly be incorporated into the new St David’s 2 development. Cadw is also considering new evidence from the campaign group that could see them changing their mind on making it a listed building in the next few weeks. If it is listed, demolition seems a lot less likely. The campaign has been successful so far, and I wish them all the best with it. Let’s hope we make a site visit of an evening, but then again, I wouldn’t want to be accused again by the Western Mail of wasting public monies;-)
You may also be aware that tomorrow there will be a statement on student finance from the Education Minister Jane Hutt. Judging from the Universities UK report today which suggests University Vice Chancellors wish to lift the cap on fees and are floating the possibility of re introducing up front means tested fees, is this the appropriate time for Wales to be introducing top-up fees?
This is of course a Universities UK review, and not the independent review of the UK government which is set to take place later this year, however, it does not bode well for the future when Vice Chancellors are seemingly intent on further embedding the marketisation agenda in to Higher Education. If Wales drops the fee remission grant, where does it stop if England introduces higher fees?Universities like Cardiff who are in the Russell group of top UK Universities will surely be demanding to charge more fees in line with their English colleagues. Or will this not be the case, and will the Minister’s statement tomorrow be enough to please them? I don’t know, all will be revealed tomorrow.
no question bethan that the coalition govt’s decision to introduce top up fees in wales could not have been made at a worse time – and may open the floodgates to some deeply troubling consequences!!!
Chief among them being the likelehood that welsh students will not be able to afford to attend their own universities!
That this decision appears to have been taken by people who in their student days did not have to pay any fees and who enjoyed the benefit of student grants makes this decision all the more sickening and unjustifiable!
This is hardly the progressive agenda in wales we were promised or expect from the coalition. Thankfully in yourself and leanne wood we appear to have some AMs of principle at least!
there has been a lot of well deserved criticism over the Plaid ministers’ position on this matter. It is a shame as until this issue cropped up I think the leadership had walked a pretty good line in circumstances far from perfect. I guess at least the differences in opinion between party and minsiters will not let the issue fade- and in subsequent terms Plaid will be able to reintorduce the measure.
the wider issue of higher fees across the UK needs to be addressed. As a lower middle class/working class teenager I, or many of my friends, would not have gone to uni had the levels of debt being discussed been likely. Access, social mobility, and ultimately the availabailty of skills in the workforce will all suffer as fees are pushed ever higher.