This is the second in a series of articles we will be publishing focusing on how Yesterday's spending review will affect local residents, and the services they rely upon. we're also keen to try to explore alternatives and where relevant would be very keen to publicise any local community groups, charities, organisations or other ideas that visitors may have regarding how alternative or replacement services etc could be utilised to help those affected directly by the cuts. I'm focusing firstly on education for two reasons, firstly because of the excellent results gained by students at the town's sixth form college this year and secondly, because this is a major area of reform where the immediate impact can be assessed; whereas to date it is still very difficult to identify exactly how the cuts are going to affect the delivery of local government services. Speaking yesterday on this matter, Mark Kirk, leader of NLC said "George Osborne stated the average cut to councils would be 30 per cent over the next four years but it�s too early to say what impact the cuts will have here in North Lincolnshire. I was told yesterday that it may not be until January before we learn exactly how much money the government will provide in the annual settlement." However, a couple of key issues which are going to affect lots of people in Scunthore were revealed surrounding the removal of Educational Maintenance Allowance and a reduction of 40% funding for University places. It's such a shame that we see education being hit in this manner, especially considering the coverage only this week in the local paper as two students from the 6th form college picked up bursaries from the Iron and Steel Institute. Between them these students had amassed a fantastic 5A* and 3A grades. Reduced funding for working families does unarguably turn education back in to an elitist system unfairly based on ability to pay as opposed to the academic ability to study. Educational Maintenance Allowance was a means tested scheme by which a grant of up to �30 a week was paid directly to the student, along with a series of bonuses and incentives based around attendance. This extra financial help paid directly to the student at 16 has been a major factor in allowing many students to go on to study at 6th form as opposed to looking for work or apprenticeship schemes upon leaving school. Local Scunthorpe MP and former college principal Nic Dakin said last night "There is no need to cut this fast or this deeply. The government has today anticipated around 500,000 job losses in the public sector as a result and PriceWaterHouseCooper have indicated that this will lead to a further half a million job losses in the private sector." Nic added that "this will cause real hardship for many people. It is a real disgrace that the government�s plans mean taking more money from children than from the bankers who got us into this mess in the first place." Further spending cuts will also affect university places and the affordability of those places which are available to students. The fee cap of �3,900 (the maximum an institution can charge a student for a course) was removed earlier this week; allowing institutions to charge up to �7,000 per year in course fees. This massive increase in fee will make a university education unattainable financially for many students from low income backgrounds, and will force children of middle class backgrounds in to even greater debt. Yesterday shortly after the cuts were announced, leader of the council Mark Kirk released the following statement: "I watched today�s announcement in shock at the vicious nature of the government�s cuts. I believe action does need to be taken to cut the national debt but these measures are too much, far too soon. 500,000 public sector workers will find themselves out of a job and who knows how many in the private sector will be impacted as a knock on effect. I honestly believe these measures will slow down economic growth, if not kill it completely and send us spiralling back into recession. "George Osborne stated the average cut to councils would be 30 per cent over the next four years but it�s too early to say what impact the cuts will have here in North Lincolnshire. I was told yesterday that it may not be until January before we learn exactly how much money the government will provide in the annual settlement. But after today�s announcement I fear the worst. We will do our best to avoid job cuts and have already put measures in place � such as a recruitment freeze and the senior management review � to lessen any impact. "A 16 per cent cut to the police force will remove valuable PCSOs from the streets. A poll in Wednesday�s Scunthorpe Telegraph states people believe crime will rise once cuts to the police force begin and I share those fears. EMA for local students has gone. Tax credits frozen. Increased rents for new tenants in former council houses and child benefit cut too. The impending VAT increase also affects every family in the region. "Previous leaders of this council have made promises they have been unable to keep and I�m not prepared to do the same. But I will ensure this council does everything possible to ensure we keep providing top quality public services to residents of North Lincolnshire." Looking at the cuts and how they will impact locally, the impact on education funding is going to make a big difference to a lot of people living in and around Scunthorpe and attending college there. John Leggot 6th form college is consistently ranked as one of the top achieving 6th forms in England, this is due not only to the hard work of staff and students alike, but also opportunities afforded to students from working class backgrounds through the use of EMA to be able to study. This year saw 8 students from JLC being offered places at Oxford or Cambridge, which if funding is reduced and fees increased will become unattainable for many families in this area.