Image caption, Charlene Merry spoke to BBC Politics North about her student loansBySarah Sanderson, Political reporter and Emma Petrie, East Yorkshire and LincolnshirePublished5 July 2026 A solicitor has said her student loan debt is limiting her career progression because a higher salary would increase loan repayments and leave her with less to live on. Charlene Merry, 31, is one of more than 52,000 people who responded to a recent Treasury Committee inquiry inviting people to share their views on student finance. Merry, who is now a senior solicitor at a law firm in Hull, said it was "really frustrating" that an increase in salary would leave her with less disposable income than she has currently. The government said it had raised the repayment threshold recently and capped interest rates this year. Beth Smith said she was the first person in her family to go to university Merry told the BBC Politics North programme that the remaining balance of loans she took out for her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, which she completed in 2018, now stands at £70,000.
Published: July 5, 2026 12:32 pm
Source: BBC — Read original