Reform in management of student finance needed urgently

11.47.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 3rd Oct 2009

Dr Steve Goddard, Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman for Oxford East

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesman for Oxford East, Dr Steve Goddard, has called for reforms in the management of student finance as thousands of students await the arrival of their loans - with just days to go before term starts. The Student Finance Company, which handles applications, is reported still to be processing forms from August. Oxford Brookes University is allowing students to defer rent payments until funding is reserved.

Dr Goddard, who works as a lecturer in Oxford University, said: "It's bad enough that many students, as I see regularly in my contact with them, are concerned about the debt they work up over their years at university. But it's even worse that the company which is meant to organise loans doesn't seem up to speed for the start of the new university year. Thousands of students and their families, including many at Oxford, are facing uncertainty and hardship as they start their studies. It's about time the government got a grip of this and sorted out how student loans are administered".