THE country’s first sugar tax on a university campus is under threat just days after being brought in.

The University of Brighton’s Student Union has agreed to hold a referendum on plans to introduce the 10p tax on sugary drinks on sale at campus shops after initially backing the proposal.

Campaigners against the tax are celebrating the news and hope a no vote in October’s referendum will convince university bosses to consign the plans “to the bin”.

University bosses said discussions on the scheme have been going on for more than eight months and were received positively by students, the Students’ Union and staff.

The university was the first in the country to take up chef Jamie Olivier’s challenge to add a 10p levy on sugary drinks on sale at their campus when it launched at the start of the month.

Campaign group Brighton Students Against Sugar Tax launched in response to the tax being introduced and has announced it will block attempts to enforce the levy and work towards reversing the policy.

Campaign founder Jeremy Gale said increasing the price on drinks at cafes and restaurants by around 14 per cent would hit poorest students the hardest.

He claimed it had been introduced without any “meaningful” consultation with the 20,000 strong student body and while most students were away during the summer holidays.

Their first victory has come within a fortnight of the launch with what campaigners are calling “a dramatic u-turn” by the student union on the proposals.

The levy is estimated to raise £4,000-a-year which will be reinvested alongside other resources into a healthy eating programme.

Mr Gale said: “We very much welcome the union’s u-turn.

“Unlike the university, the students union has actually listened to the arguments we, as students, made against the university’s sugar tax.

“We will now be building our resources prior to the start of the academic year and the return of 20,000 students to campuses in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings.

“If we secure a ‘no-vote’ then I would call on the university to consign their own regressive and punitive tax to the dustbin.”

Peter Engelsen, secretary of Brighton Against Sugar tax, said: “Rather than discouraging unhealthy foods by making lives harder for poorer students, I would like to see some of the £7.7 million surplus made by the University reinvested in actively promoting a healthier lifestyle and providing healthier alternatives to students.”