I ATTENDED Palmers College and was lucky enough to start university this September.

I say lucky as I feel that if it had been a year later I, and many of my friends, would either have not got in due to cuts or chose not to attend due to the carnage the new Government has made of the education system.

Many of my friends at Palmers were able to go to uni thanks to the EMA that they were able to claim.

This has been completely wiped out and I think this can only be a bad thing for the people of Thurrock.

The proof will be there for all to see when young people in years 10 and 11 are deciding whether further education will be right for them and whether they can afford to go.

I wonder if Jackie Doyle-Price would have been elected if David Cameron had told students of his plans to cut the EMA and increase tuition fees when he visited Palmers College just before the general election, asking young people to trust him.

I doubt many Thurrock young people will be able to go to sixth form, let alone university in the future. I bet he doesn’t pull the same stunt when we have another general election.

Our MP has gone on record syaing she feels the £10million cuts to Thurrock Council’s budget this year was fine and she felt it was a “good deal”.

Well let’s see what local people think of her “good deal” when the cuts are implemented and our local services are cut.

Thurrock Council has been forced to cut the transport budget so our future sixth form and college students, already facing complete cuts to the EMA, then have to somehow magic the money to even get there in the first place.

Neither Thurrock Council, or Thurrock young people, have had a “good deal” under the Con-Dem Government. – NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.