SIXTH-FORM students in one East London borough will be paid £400 just to turn up at school under a controversial new scheme.
Locals have been divided over the handout, which was announced yesterday by Lutfur Rahman, the mayor of Tower Hamlets.
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Under the scheme, 1,250 students aged between 16 and 19 will be eligible for the handout – which is designed to keep them in school.
The borough is one of the most deprived places in England, and the scheme is aimed at children from families who earn less than £25,000 a year. The students will mainly be in Year 12 and Year 13.
Rahman said: “This financial support will help give young people the confidence and encouragement to continue their studies amid the cost-of-living crisis.”
He has pledged to pay 1,250 students from poor families £400 each to stay in school after they turn 16.
He has also announced a £1,500 bursary for 400 university students from Tower Hamlets.
A local tweeted: “Well done SIR. You deserve a Knighthood!”
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This is the second time Rahman has introduced a cash handout for students in Tower Hamlets.
The original scheme was scrapped after Rahman’s 2014 election was ruled void and he was replaced by Labour rival John Biggs.
Rahman’s £1.1m Education Maintenance Allowance is modelled on a grant which Tony Blair’s government introduced for students across Britain aged 16-19.
Rahman first launched the scheme in Tower Hamlets after the Tory/Lib Dem coalition government binned it in England in 2010. It remains in place in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
He signed off on its reintroduction on Monday, the same day as a group of Labour grandees including David Blunkett called for Keir Starmer to bring it back across England.
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