STUDENTS had the chance to raise issues with some of the parliamentary hopefuls for North Cornwall at a 'Question Time' session last Thursday.

Launceston College Year 13 student Alex Dart organised the hour-long session as part of Information and Guidance lessons, and the whole of the college's sixth form and the prospective candidates for North Cornwall were invited.

The candidates present were Julie Lingard from UKIP, Scott Mann from the Conservatives and Amanda Pennington from the Green Party.

Dan Rogerson, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, was unable to attend, as was Mebyon Kernow's Orlando Kimber.

Adam Paynter, Cornwall Councillor for Launceston North and North Petherwin, took Mr Rogerson's place.

The candidates and Cllr Paynter were invited to introduce themselves before students put their prepared questions to all of them, covering topics from renewable energy to university tuition fees, which can be up to £9,000 a year.

Student Leigh Rickard asked: "Do you intend to lower the fees for first degrees?"

Ms Pennington said the Green Party would abolish tuition fees for further education.

She added: "It's our policy to scrap tuition fees for university students."

College principal Jack Jackson, who chaired the Question Time, asked Ms Pennington where the Green Party would find the finances in order to make tuition free for students.

She replied: "I don't have a costing manifesto yet," but added they would levy taxes on corporations and the top 1% of earners.

Ms Lingard said UKIP has a firm policy on university tuition fees: "Subject to academic performance we would remove fees for a group of degrees."

She said these would include science, technology, engineering and maths degrees and added: "Students from the EU would pay the same rates as international students."

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.