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Job losses ahead, university warns
STAFF at London Metropolitan University are bracing themselves for possible redundancies after it was announced that funding is to be cut by £15million.
The university, which has a campus in Holloway, has been hit by a financial crisis following the revelation that it had been substantially overfunded for several years. Funding is based on the number of students who complete a course, and money is forfeited when they drop out.
Brian Roper, the university’s vice-chancellor, said that the Higher Education Funding Council for England was proposing to reduce the university’s teaching grant by £15million in 2008-09 and was considering clawing back other funding for three previous years. In 2007-08, the university’s teaching grant was £68million.
The cuts will come “despite the fact that Hefce had not previously highlighted any problems with our data relating to [student] completion,” he said.
Professor Roper said the cut followed Hefce audits of London Met data for the past three years.
In an email to all staff, Professor Roper warns: “The financial impact of this on the university will be significant and the board of governors has asked the executive group to identify ways to reduce the university’s expenditure in order that we are able to operate with a greatly reduced income stream.
“Unfortunately, some job loss appears to be inevitable. Rationalisation of academic provision, changes to professional service provision and to services and facilities will also be necessary... This will mean difficult decisions, but I am confident the university will survive these uncertain times.”
In a statement, Hefce said it had been working with London Met for some time to ensure its student data returns “fully reflect the reporting definitions that apply”.
The council confirmed there would be a “significant, downward funding adjustment” for the next academic year.
London Met’s University and College Union branch representative Amanda Sacker, representing 2,000 lecturers, said nothing would happen immediately.
“We hope to persuade the management there are betters ways of saving money than making people redundant,” she added. |
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