Top-up fees probe at LSE

Last Friday was the deadline for English universities to file financial forecasts with the funding council. Not all met the deadline. With a cash crisis looming, THES reporters look at the sums and who carries the can when they do not add up

Governors at the London School of Economics have voted to proceed with the investigation into the introduction of top-up tuition fees for undergraduates.

But members attending last Thursday's court of Governors meeting failed, against expectations, to vote in favour of the principle of introducing top-up fees, prompting the LSE student union to claim a small victory in terms of delaying implementation.

Governors had been expected to ratify the academic board's agreement in principle to top-up fees but instead passed a procedural motion advocating a further study on the timing and introduction of fees.

This allowed student union treasurer Claire Lawrie to claim a "victory" in the delay.

However Leslie Hannah, LSE pro-director, said the school was continuing to progress towards top-up fees and that fully costed proposals, including the level of fees, their timing and details of a scholarship scheme, would be put forward in November or December this year.