Blake Lapthorn Linnell say that universities that have held discussions over the level of top-up fees they plan to charge could be fined for price fixing. The solicitors' letter acknowledges that although "charging the appropriate level of fees is always fraught with difficulty", it appeared that "some education institutions think that competition law does not apply to them". The regulator has powers to impose fines of up to 10 per cent of three years' turnover on any organisation found guilty of breaching competition law.
