Cardiff University has given an update on its consultation over brutal proposed cuts in the face of a £31m+ deficit. The update from Vice Chancellor Wendy Larner follows months of opposition, protest and counter proposals since the planned savings and job losses were announced in January.
On a day when the UCU union warned of strike action and a marking boycott remained on the table if there were any compulsory redundancies, the university rowed back on the scale of cuts proposed. Meetings were held with staff throughout the day and two departments have been removed from redundancy rounds.
While it appears that the highly regarded School of Nursing will now stay open, it would be smaller and take fewer students under revised plans. Jobs which were at risk in other departments appear to have been saved by plans for a Cardiff University campus in Kazakhstan - but 286 academic jobs overall are still earmarked to go. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Here are some of the things we learned from today's announcement from Cardiff University as it updated its cuts consultation plan:
Proposed academic job losses at Cardiff University have fallen from 400 to 286, its Vice Chancellor confirmed. Professor Wendy Larner said that all staff in the university's schools of maths and chemistry have had the threat of redundancy lifted.
This means 1,307 full time academic posts across the institution still remain officially at risk, with staff waiting to hear.
Only staff in the maths and chemistry schools have been taken out of the proposed redundancy pool while the university is also pausing consideration of voluntary redundancy applications in the School of Healthcare Sciences, where nursing staff are in-scope for redundancy in the cuts consultation.
An alternative proposal for the nursing school, which will see fewer students studying there, is on the table, rather than closure. But that plan depends on agreement from the Welsh Government and others.
The alternative proposal would see Cardiff University keep adult, child and mental health nursing, but recruit smaller numbers of undergraduates. The university would also look at widening routes into those degree programmes to ensure widening participation, potentially by adding a foundation year.
Accepting this alternative proposal, rather than closing the school, depends on approval from Welsh Government, the NHS and Health Education and Improvement Wales. The university said it was "hopeful" of getting this.
HEIW is the statutory body responsible for the education and training of healthcare professionals is Wales. It would be responsible for the development of any plan to ensure the continuity of nursing provision in Wales.
HEIW would then provide the details of this plan to Welsh Government as assurance that there is sufficient provision of nursing to address the workforce need in future years.
Nursing students who enter the University in 2025 will be taught at Cardiff University School of Healthcare Sciences until their degrees finish in 2028.
The huge row over Cardiff University cuts is not something Cardiff Bay has wanted to be drawn into publicly, although the future of the School of Nursing impacts the NHS in Wales.
Asked for its response the Welsh Government said: “It is important that a plan continues to be developed, which considers the needs of the sector and provides a credible and sustainable alternative for nursing provision in the region. We will continue to engage with Cardiff University and HEIW whilst this plan is being developed.”
The maths and chemistry departments have been taken "out of scope" for redundancy, meaning all jobs in those departments are safe now. These two schools have put forward alternatives to the cuts proposals which the university has agreed to consider.
For chemistry, the university has accepted the school’s proposal to retain the medicinal chemistry programme. For maths there is a proposal to widen participation in the department.
For both schools, the university said it has reviewed the undergraduate home targets and is confident that it can still ask for the same entry grades with increased numbers. The Vice Chancellor said its plans to open a campus in Kazakhstan also requires input from maths staff, meaning that the reduction in full time equivalent posts it is looking to cut has been reduced.
Members of the UCU union have already balloted for strike action and/or action short of strike in the event of compulsory redundancies. The union responded to the cuts update saying nothing is yet certain and action remains a live possibility.
The union said: “We are relieved for the very small number of staff that have been taken out of scope for redundancy. We also welcome the overall reduction in proposed staff cuts and the very early-stage news that there may be some hope for nursing programmes.
“But today’s news is not good enough. It is unforgivable that so many of our members remain in fear for their livelihoods, especially when other sensible, evidence-based options are on the table. As we have argued from the start, compulsory redundancies are avoidable if the university dials back its overly ambitious and unnecessary money-making targets and draws on its hundreds of millions in available cash to fund a more gradual recovery. Instead, it still favours this rushed, slash-and-burn
approach.
“The story for Cardiff University staff today, yet again, is one of uncertainty, fear, administrative chaos, and managerial incompetence. Cardiff University Executive Board’s handling of this process from the beginning has been utterly shambolic. As numerous experts have observed, it has been an object lesson in how not to manage an institutional crisis.
"The shockwaves caused by senior managers’ actions continue to do lasting and serious damage to the university and its reputation.
Universities around Wales and the UK say they have been hit by soaring costs, static home tuition fees and falling numbers of higher paying international students. They have also been hit by recent National Insurance rises. Across Wales universities are projecting a combined deficit at the end of this year of at least £70m. The Welsh Government has provided more cash and upped tuition fees, but universities say that has not been enough.
Jobs are being cut at Bangor University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of South Wales. Swansea University is undertaking a curriculum review. Aberystwyth University last year said it was looking at £15m of cuts but did not say how many, if any, jobs would go.
Only Wrexham and the University of Wales Trinity St David did not post deficits in their last financial reports.
Get news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. See our Privacy Notice.
Receive the latest news on AI Financial Navigator 4.0