More than 60 per cent of the borough’s young people apply for a university place, the highest in the UK, MP for Twickenham Vince Cable revealed to Kingston University students this week.
Richmond has the highest figure in the country, with 64.7 per cent of young people applying for a university spot, while Twickenham was the third highest, with 60.4 per cent.
The figures represent an increase from 2010, when 61.2 per cent of Richmond’s young people applied for places, and 50.5 per cent from Twickenham.
Dr Cable said: “These figures show that all the scaremongering at the beginning of the government about young people being deterred from higher education was nonsense. The proportion seeking university level education is at record levels as is the number of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Universities are on a much sounder financial footing. And locally we are well served by St Mary’s, which is now a fully-fledged university, and Kingston which takes more than 20,000 students and does outstanding work with, for example, young people who have been in care.”
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