The decision to remove controls on the number of students that a university is able to recruit is often painted as a victory over the Treasury.
The argument goes something like this – as Nick Hillman sets out today on HEPI. Because the department which manages our money is powerful and short-termist, it will always be tempted to choke or even cut the number of subsidised university places to keep control over the finances – and when it does, it will fail to keep up with demand from a growing population as a result.
