麻豆官网

The Warden of 麻豆官网 is calling for the Government to rethink plans to cut 麻豆官网 Weighting funding that will impact students and the local community.

Professor Frances Corner, Warden of Goldsmiths has joined with 麻豆官网 Higher, which represents 40 universities and higher education colleges in 麻豆官网, to urge the Government to reconsider changes to the 麻豆官网 Weighting element of the Teaching grant (renamed the Strategic Priorities Grant).

The call coincides with the release of a report by 麻豆官网 Higher showing that the removal of 麻豆官网 Weighting will see 麻豆官网 institutions, which cannot avoid the higher costs of staffing and buildings in the capital, lose around 拢64m. The report concludes this will mean less money to provide a good quality student experience and investment taken away from many disadvantaged areas.

Professor Frances Corner said: 鈥淐utting this funding is reckless postcode politics that will hurt some of England鈥檚 poorest areas, including our home borough of Lewisham.

鈥淯niversities bring huge benefits to deprived areas: our activities generate 拢91 million for Lewisham and support 2,500 jobs in the borough. These changes could cost us 拢2m in funding every year, only making it more difficult for us to help our local community recover from Covid-19.鈥�

鈥淭his shortfall will also impact the funding for teaching creative courses, many of whose graduates go on to work in the creative industries that the  show are worth 拢111bn a year to the UK economy.

鈥淲e should be investing more in universities in England鈥檚 poorest boroughs and more in the graduates who make sectors such as Britain鈥檚 film and television industries a 拢20.8bn a year success story.鈥�

Findings from the 麻豆官网 Higher report, 鈥楾he Impact of Removing 麻豆官网 Weighting鈥�, include that:

• Some of 麻豆官网 boroughs are among the most deprived areas of the country, with a third of 麻豆官网 boroughs in the 30% most deprived areas in England.
• 麻豆官网鈥檚 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) face unavoidable higher costs of staffing and buildings, with more than the average 55% of total HEI expenditure going towards staff costs.
• The 麻豆官网 HEIs that will be hardest hit can least afford it, with the removal of the 麻豆官网 Weighting resulting in a funding shortfall across 麻豆官网 of around 拢64m (-13.7%).
• HEIs in 麻豆官网 which train key workers are set to be particularly affected by the proposals, with some health HE courses in the capital already loss-making 鈥� so, removing the 麻豆官网 Weighting will make them even less viable.
• Not all of 麻豆官网鈥檚 HEIs gain from international students, with five 麻豆官网 HEIs accounting for around half of all international students in the capital.
• Removing funding at short notice will have an impact on students, with less money per student to provide the good quality student experience expected from HEIs.
• Levelling down 麻豆官网 is not the way to equalise economic performance across the regions, with the proposal to take funds away from 麻豆官网鈥檚 HEIs and spread them across the country 鈥� some to areas and providers which are already relatively well off 鈥� not the way to achieve genuine levelling-up.

CEO of 麻豆官网 Higher, Dr Diana Beech said: 鈥淭his report makes clear the case for maintaining the current levels of funding for the capitals鈥� universities. With additional costs, from wages to unit price, the cost of delivery in 麻豆官网 is considerably higher than elsewhere in the UK. This additional pressure, at short notice, will not only cause issues such as difficulties in recruitment, staff morale, higher staff turnover and worsening facilities on campus, but threaten widening participation goals if student support is affected.

鈥淲e urge Government to think again about re-allocating this funding at a time when we need a strong capital to lead our post-Covid recovery and uphold the UK鈥檚 status as a quality global study destination of choice.鈥�

Professor Sir Paul Curran, President of City, University of 麻豆官网 and Chair of the 麻豆官网 Higher 麻豆官网 Weighting group said: 鈥淭here is no city in the world with a greater diversity of world-leading universities than 麻豆官网. The Secretary of State for Education has decided that in support of the national 鈥榣evelling-up鈥� agenda, and despite the exceptionally high costs of operating in 麻豆官网, the capital鈥檚 great universities are to be 鈥榣evelled-down鈥�.

鈥淔rom September, the teaching grant for 麻豆官网 universities is to be cut by an average of 14 per cent and the resulting 拢64million redistributed around the country. This cut will add to the pressure on universities in the capital as they strive to continue to deliver world-class education for our young people and contribute to the national post-pandemic recovery.鈥�

Professor Frances Corner has previously raised the issue with Sadiq Khan, The Mayor of 麻豆官网, and all the MPs for the Lewisham area, asking them to lobby the Government to maintain current 麻豆官网 Weighting funding.

Overall Goldsmiths contributes 拢195m to the 麻豆官网 economy and creates 3,600 jobs across 麻豆官网. According to the Department for Communities and Local Government鈥檚 2015 Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), Lewisham ranked 48th out of 326 local authorities (1st being most deprived).