As a university we continue to manage our finances carefully and as such remain in a relatively strong financial position compared to most in the sector.
But as with all universities we are experiencing challenges in the external environment, including rising costs and increasingly competitive student recruitment and it is vital that we sustain a viable financial position for the future.
Thank you to all colleagues who have worked hard over the course of the year to make savings. Your efforts have made a real difference. However, there remains more to do within some faculties given the challenging recruitment environment and a decline in student numbers in some areas.
With this in mind, we are proposing to restructure some parts of FES, FLAS and GBS to enable us to respond to the challenging recruitment market in a financially sustainable way, while continuing to support the delivery of our strategic priorities.
Earlier this week, the PVC and Executive Deans of each of the three faculties met their teams to update staff on proposals which will affect a number of posts in each faculty. We are now consulting with trade unions and the affected staff on these proposals, and colleagues will be fully supported as we move through the consultation process.
The changes being proposed are designed to enable teams to better deliver the faculties’ strategic priorities and KPIs. Staffing levels have also been reviewed to reflect the number of students in each faculty. Changes are proposed to the structures of the faculty professional services teams to ensure a more even distribution of staff workloads and responsibilities, and a greater consistency across faculties.
The proposals outline our plans to reduce the reliance on Hourly Paid Lecturers (HPLs) and create more permanent posts. This is focussed on improving the student experience.
We are committed to working with our colleagues and the trade unions to seek their feedback before any proposals are finalised and are therefore encouraging staff to share their views before the consultation ends on 18 May 2025. Following the consultation, we will review all feedback before making any final decisions and aim to share the outcome by 9 June 2025.
Please do speak to your line manager if you have any concerns or access the support available to all staff via the Employee Assistance Programme.
