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25 Jun 2010 14:02:07
University of Bedfordshire Vice Chancellor Professor Les Ebdon CBE has condemned a £21million cut in budgets to universities in England for the 2009-10 academic year. Universities will be expected to manage this cut in grants even though the end of the academic and financial year is only weeks away, leaving institutions with little opportunity to adjust their operating costs.
These reductions, part of cuts totalling £200million for 2010-11, were announced by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable MP, in his revised grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce).
In addition, universities and students are expected to help the department find additional savings of £100million in 2010-11 – equivalent to 11per cent of the department’s running costs. As chair of the university think-tank million+ Professor Ebdon said he was concerned that a cut in budgets by next April (before the end of the 2010-11 academic financial year) was likely to hit universities and students severely.
He said: “This announcement creates further uncertainty just weeks before the start of the university academic and financial year. It is not the way to manage one of the most successful sectors of the UK economy which earns over £5billion in foreign exchange earnings each year.
“Tuesday’s budget made clear that everybody will be facing tough cuts in the coming months and years and universities and students will obviously have to bear some of that burden. However, the Government needs a clear plan to foster growth and employment and our future prosperity. As a result these further cuts are short-sighted and will be damaging.”
Latest news» 2010» June» Vice Chancellor condemns ‘damaging’ funding cuts
