THE Greens vowed to fight to save student maintenance grants yesterday after George Osborne’s new Budget decided to scrap the fund helping over half a million people access higher education.

Children of families on incomes below £25,000 are currently entitled to the grant which covers up to £3,387 a year in university fees.

Green Party leader Natalie Bennett said the decision to end student maintenance grants would only “add to the stress and worry of both students and their families about taking on the debt burden required to get an education.

“It is going to add to the massive rise in private and unsecured debt that is increasingly replacing public spending, which threatens Britain’s long-term economic stability.”

National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts spokeswoman Beth Redmond told the Star: “We hope the launch of the Green Party’s campaign will be a truly grassroots one.”