Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London and 2012 election hopeful, has looked to drum up support for his campaign by promising the reinstatement of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) if he is elected.
The EMA, which was scrapped by the government in 2012, was a monetary incentive of up to £30 a week (plus bonuses) to encourage young people to stay in education.
The decision to scrap the incentive was taken when wholesale reductions to national purse spending were taking place.
Now the Labour mayoral candidate is planning to re-commission the allowance for Greater London in an effort to lessen the squeeze on the public by government-led cuts.
Livingstone aims to fund the allowance by bringing together existing grants administered through local authorities, colleges, universities, and the Greater London Authority.
The plan has received mixed reviews with most people in favour of the proposal but pessimistic as to whether it will go ahead. Livingstone’s opposition have slated the proposal for offering money that is simply not available.
