Grants go-slow

The Audit Commission this week reported that only one in five local authorities had paid out all their mandatory student grants by the start of term in 1993. Its report on Local Authority Performance Indicators put Westminster at the bottom of the league, with no awards paid by October 10. Four of the 116 authorities in England and Wales paid no discretionary awards in 1993/94, but 24 awarded them to all new applicants.