LUDLOW’S MP, Philip Dunne, welcomes the increase in young people applying to go university. He fails to mention that his own constituency is performing worse than most of England.

In 2006, 29.8% of 18-year-olds in the Ludlow constituency applied for higher education places. That was 2.6% above the national rate of 27.2%. Ten years on, the national application rate has grown to 36.6%. But Ludlow has not kept up and is now nearly three percentage points behind at 33.7%.

When Philip Dunne was elected as our MP ten years ago, just 181 of the 533 constituencies in England had a higher rate of university applications than Ludlow. In 2016, 301 constituencies do better than Ludlow.

There is nothing much to welcome in the latest higher statistics. Ludlow used to be ahead of the game but is now trailing behind.

Our politicians are consistently failing young people in rural districts like ours.

ANDY BODDINGTON

Chestnut Grove

Ludlow