ANGRY students shouted at councillors at a stormy meeting in Brighton Town Hall.

The students first held a noisy rally outside in Bartholomew Square to protest against tuition fees. Then they filled the public gallery and interrupted a Brighton and Hove Council debate on education. The students claim that introducing fees and abolishing maintenance grants will leave many of them deeply in debt. Tories put forward a motion condemning the Government's proposals and asking MPs to oppose them in Parliament. It was defeated 21-42 but several Labour councillors were not in the council chamber for the vote and veteran Socialist Joe Townsend abstained. Labour councillor Simon Charleton said that no one would be prevented from entering higher education. But Tory councillor Jenny Langston, herself a mature student, said she would not have been able to pay the fees. Although police attended the demonstration, there was no violence and no arrests were made. Mayor Betty Walshe at one stage threatened to clear the public gallery if there were any more interruptions. Demonstrators against the Government's New Deal for the unemployed also lobbied the meeting. Council leader Lord Bassam said the council would take part in the New Deal and would pay the rate for the job. He added: "We are members of the Labour Party and we support these policies."

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