Ed Miliband ’ s flagship plan to cut university tuition fees to £6,000 will not help bright youngsters from poor homes , Britain ’ s biggest anti-poverty group warned last night . In a scathing assessment , the left-leaning Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the Labour leader ’ s vow to bring down fees from £9,000 ‘ sounds progressive… but sadly it isn ’ t ’ . The charity said there were ‘ better ways ’ to use the £3billion-a-year cost of the policy to help the poor , such as increasing spending on sixth-form colleges in poorer areas . Coming under fire from left : The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has criticised Ed Miliband ’ s flagship plan to cut university tuition fees to £6,000 . It also pointed out that because low-paid graduates eventually have their fees written off , the policy would ‘ mainly benefit mid to high-earning graduates who ’ d otherwise have been repaying all or most of their loans ’ . Also , there was ‘ no evidence ’ the rise in fees under the Coalition had hit the level of applications from poorer students , said the foundation , which added : ‘ Even if poorer students are put off , there is no evidence that these students would be much less deterred by fees of £6,000 than £9,000 . ‘ The biggest factor preventing young people from poorer backgrounds from going to university is that the majority do not get good enough results at school to even attempt it. ’ Launching the policy last week , Mr Miliband said he was determined to keep the pledge he first made in 2011 . The Tories have opened a three point lead over Labour in a poll . They are up to 34 per cent with Labour on 31 in the survey from former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft . Last week ’ s Ashcroft poll had Labour in the lead . The new poll shows 42 per cent of voters believe Britain would be burdened with more debt under a Labour government . For the Tories it is 11 per cent . Labour is well ahead on improving the NHS . He insisted poorer students would benefit , adding : ‘ The scourge of debt from tuition fees is not only holding back our young people , it is a burden on our country. ’ But the proposal has been condemned as ‘ financially illiterate ’ by experts . University vice-chancellors are sceptical that a Labour government would make up the shortfall in fees . And many in Mr Miliband ’ s inner circle fear his plan for a £3billion-a-year raid on the pensions of the better-off to fund his eye-catching initiative will cost the party votes . Former Labour leadership contender Diane Abbott told LBC radio yesterday : ‘ I think it ’ s generally understood that Ed was the person in his shadow cabinet who felt most strongly about doing something on tuition fees. ’ At a People ’ s Question Time event in Brighton yesterday , Mr Miliband was accused of ‘ electioneering ’ by a member of the public , who identified herself only as Francesca . Launching the policy last week , Mr Miliband said he was determined to keep the pledge he first made in 2011 . She told him : ‘ I would like to know why you are cutting the tuition fees in the light that a record number of students from poorer backgrounds are applying to university . 'And also the fact that it ’ s middle-class , better-off students who are going to be paying less . ‘ The only conclusion I can get to is that it smacks of electioneering . ’
Miliband say Mr Joseph Rowntree Foundation 's plan to cut fees wo n't work . Charity said there were ‘ better ways ’ to use £3billion-a-year cost of policy . Pointed out change would mainly benefit mid to high-earning graduates .