Under fire, Ralph Seymour Jackson (CEO of Student Loans Company) should have his salary delayed until loans fiasco is resolved says NUS President
NUS President Wes Streeting has criticised Student Finance England and its CEO Ralph Seymour Jackson after delays in the payment of 50,000 student loans were described as ‘reasonable’.
Seymour-Jackson appeared on BBC breakfast news this morning, saying that the delay in loan and grant payments was “not perfect, but it’s reasonable.”
On his blog today, Streeting called for Seymour-Jackson’s salary to be withheld until the situation was resolved.
“I’m absolutely furious at the bizarre claim of the head of Student Finance England, Ralph Seymour-Jackson, that delays to the payment of loans to 50,000 students is “reasonable”,” writes Streeting.
“Tell that to the students I’ve spoken to who are panicking about how to pay rent, pay bills and pay for food.”
The University of Huddersfield assured students that delayed loan payments should not be cause for concern earlier this week.
The news comes days after Streeting wrote to Seymour-Jackson demanding answers for loan payment confusion.
This is the first year that Student Finance England, established in 2008, has fully taken over the processing of loans from local authorities.
[...] and tears have gone into trying to get my student loan this year and, comforted only slightly after reading that it wasn’t just me that hadn’t received their loan on time, and that around 170,000 other students-mainly first [...]
I would like to tell you what happened to my daughter last year.
She was granted a loan from yourselves and a grant and tuition fees and all was well, she was over the moon…
Off to Southhampton to study fashion….
She started her course in Sept 09 and had still not received any money from student finance so she borrowed to pay £250 for her digs…..
End of Sept still no money so she borrowed from the bank ( overdraft )
End of October still no money and all funds have run out…
you see her parents although very proud of her being the first member of the family attending University can not work as they have to care for her little brother who is severely disabled and therefore can not contribute financially.
After lots and lots of calls to Student Finance who came up with all manner of excuses she finally had to let her dreams slip away and quit University on the 9th of November 2009…
Now she is being threatened with legal action as she owes money for her digs and the University are taking her to court … she is overdrawn at the bank £1500 and still has no education
Student finance told her that if she had quit a month later they would have paid her tuition fees
what a shame maybe she could have lived on the street for another 4 weeks!!
Student finance have told me her father that they have cancelled the application for her loan / grant / whatever you call it as her circumstances have changed ….. they sure have haven’t they
I have just got off the phone with John at student finance who has told me to tell my daughter to write a letter un-canceling her application %$&%^***?????
I’m emailing you as I can not get Ralph Seymour-Jacksons email address NOT YET ANYWAY but i will………….. and a registered letter will also be going to his desk ….
You see as we have no money we can start legal action at no cost this is the only option that is available to us,,,, this and the media and You tube and twitter and all of the other places where the right people can see this story……
If you would be so kind as to pass this on to someone at Student Finance that can help us we would be eternally grateful
O before i forget this is what Ralph Seymour Jackson said about the problems Student Finance had last year…I will be contacting the people doing the inquiry…….
20 October 2009
The Student Loans Company is reassuring applicants that it is working hard to get students their money and apologises to students who have experienced difficulties with their applications.
Ralph Seymour-Jackson, Chief Executive of the Student Loans Company, said: “We are very sorry that students have experienced difficulties with their funding this year and for the worry that this has caused them and their families.
“We welcome the inquiry that has been announced to ensure that next year we can deliver the service that students and their parents have every right to expect.
“Let me reassure everybody that we are working flat out to process all valid applications as we appreciate that students need their money as soon as possible during tough economic times.
“The number being processed is normal for this time of year. It’s a combination of all the applications which were last year processed by 139 different Local Authorities.
Students who have sent their application and correct evidence by mid-August and have received an initial non-means tested assessment will receive their full entitlement by the end of October.
The Student Loans Company is urging students to check the progress of their application at Directgov