Ed Miliband’s flagship plan to cut university tuition fees to £6,000 will not help bright youngsters from poor homes, Britain’s biggest anti-poverty group warned last night. In a scathing assessment, the left-leaning Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the Labour leader’s vow to bring down fees from £9,000 ‘sounds progressive… but sadly it isn’t’. The charity said there were ‘better ways’ to use the £3billion-a-year cost of the policy to help the poor, such as increasing spending on sixth-form colleges in poorer areas. Coming under fire from left: The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has criticised Ed Miliband’s flagship plan to cut university tuition fees to £6,000 . It also pointed out that because low-paid graduates eventually have their fees written off, the policy would ‘mainly benefit mid to high-earning graduates who’d otherwise have been repaying all or most of their loans’. Also, there was ‘no evidence’ the rise in fees under the Coalition had hit the level of applications from poorer students, said the foundation, which added: ‘Even if poorer students are put off, there is no evidence that these students would be much less deterred by fees of £6,000 than £9,000. ‘The biggest factor preventing young people from poorer backgrounds from going to university is that the majority do not get good enough results at school to even attempt it.’ Launching the policy last week, Mr Miliband said he was determined to keep the pledge he first made in 2011. The Tories have opened a three point lead over Labour in a poll. They are up to 34 per cent with Labour on 31 in the survey from former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft. Last week’s Ashcroft poll had Labour in the lead. The new poll shows 42 per cent of voters believe Britain would be burdened with more debt under a Labour government. For the Tories it is 11 per cent. Labour is well ahead on improving the NHS. He insisted poorer students would benefit, adding: ‘The scourge of debt from tuition fees is not only holding back our young people, it is a burden on our country.’ But the proposal has been condemned as ‘financially illiterate’ by experts. University vice-chancellors are sceptical that a Labour government would make up the shortfall in fees. And many in Mr Miliband’s inner circle fear his plan for a £3billion-a-year raid on the pensions of the better-off to fund his eye-catching initiative will cost the party votes. Former Labour leadership contender Diane Abbott told LBC radio yesterday: ‘I think it’s generally understood that Ed was the person in his shadow cabinet who felt most strongly about doing something on tuition fees.’ At a People’s Question Time event in Brighton yesterday, Mr Miliband was accused of ‘electioneering’ by a member of the public, who identified herself only as Francesca. Launching the policy last week, Mr Miliband said he was determined to keep the pledge he first made in 2011 . She told him: ‘I would like to know why you are cutting the tuition fees in the light that a record number of students from poorer backgrounds are applying to university. 'And also the fact that it’s middle-class, better-off students who are going to be paying less. ‘The only conclusion I can get to is that it smacks of electioneering.’
Joseph Rowntree Foundation say Mr Miliband's plan to cut fees won't work . Charity said there were ‘better ways’ to use £3billion-a-year cost of policy . Pointed out change would mainly benefit mid to high-earning graduates .