logo
Liverpool Hope University cuts 'devastating' for its reputation

Liverpool Hope University cuts 'devastating' for its reputation

BBC News14-06-2025
Proposed job cuts at Liverpool Hope University (LHU) will have a "devastating impact" on the academic institution's reputation, a union has warned.Staff have been invited to apply for voluntary redundancy, said Roberto Catello from the University and College Union (UCU), with 39 lecturers facing losing their jobs.He said the proposed cuts would have a "devastating impact on our academic community, the reputation of the university... and the local economy".A university spokesperson, who confirmed the voluntary redundancy scheme, said leaders tasked with ensuring the institution's financial and academic stability were working with the UCU "to explore all options".
Dr Catello added: "The fact the LHU plans to drastically reduce the size of the Theology and Religious Studies academic team, from a headcount of six to two, is particularly telling."It shows that management is willing to sacrifice our institutional identity as a Christian and Ecumenical University just to make some savings from the academic staff budget."Part of the national Cathedrals Group of Universities, LHU said it was seeking to "ensure financial and academic stability".A university spokesperson said they appreciated it was a worrying time for staff and stressed that no staff member had been issued with a redundancy notice."The situation is still fluid," the representative added. "We await counter-proposals from the union and continue to consider suggestions and counter-proposals from individual staff."Our institution is not immune to the challenges facing the higher education sector across the UK and these proposals have been put forward to ensure financial and academic stability, while enabling us to continue to deliver excellent educational outcomes into the future."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New Grantham £8m council depot 'taking shape' ahead of opening
New Grantham £8m council depot 'taking shape' ahead of opening

BBC News

time16 minutes ago

  • BBC News

New Grantham £8m council depot 'taking shape' ahead of opening

A new £8.8m council depot is "taking shape" ahead of opening, an authority Kesteven District Council (SKDC) plans to take control of the depot in Turnpike Close, Grantham from contractor Lindum Group on 30 October, with a go-live date scheduled for 1 authority said it would accommodate a range of services including waste, park maintenance and street cleaning, along with more than 250 cabinet member for property and public engagement, Councillor Richard Cleaver, described the new depot as "future-proofed and sustainable". Clearance works have begun at the current depot in Alexandra Road, which was built in the 1970s and is at the end of its operational life, a spokesperson old depot will remain in operation until the handover has taken place and SKDC said it was continuing to assess options for the site's future completed so far includes the steel structures for the main depot building and external roof and external cladding are being added, and joinery work is scheduled in the next few authority said Lindum Group was working on the lorry parking area and work would start on the main car park said it had allocated £500,000 in addition to the build cost for mobilisation to relocate its services and staff from the existing said the new depot would "improve welfare and working conditions for our brilliant staff". Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices

Second Brexit referendum won't happen ‘in my lifetime', Neil Kinnock says
Second Brexit referendum won't happen ‘in my lifetime', Neil Kinnock says

Daily Mirror

time16 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Second Brexit referendum won't happen ‘in my lifetime', Neil Kinnock says

The ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock, who served as Vice-President of the European Commission between 1999 to 2004, warned Brexit had 'inflicted such harm' on Britain A second referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union won't happen "in my lifetime", Neil Kinnock has said. ‌ The ex-Labour leader, who served as Vice-President of the European Commission between 1999 to 2004, warned Brexit had "inflicted such harm" on Britain. And he cast doubt on the ability of the government to grasp sustained and high levels of economic growth outside the single market and customs union. ‌ His comments come after a poll showed earlier this month nearly half of voters want another EU referendum within five years. Less than a third said they would back Brexit in a new vote. But asked whether he believed there was a possibility of a second vote in his lifetime, Lord Kinnock, 83, replied: "Not in my lifetime, no. It's not going to happen in my lifetime." ‌ But he predicted that Britain would join a new European organisation in the future. He told The Mirror: "In my grandchildren's lifetime, probably my children's lifetime, we will be part of a Europe-wide economic and political organisation. "The EU is going through changes as well, of course, as everything does. That will come about because of the reality of proximity. It's by far our biggest market. It was until seven years ago, free of impediment." Lord Kinnock, who campaigned alongside other party leaders to Remain during the 2016 referendum vote, added: "That change is not going to take place while I'm breathing. I just wish it was because it would be for the benefit of our country. "The real patriots are those arguing for the closest possible relationship, economically, politically, and in strategic terms." He praised Keir Starmer's efforts to reset the relationship with Brussels that was left in tatters after years of fractious Brexit negotiations under the Tories. In May, the PM struck a new deal with the bloc, saying it was time to "move on from the stale old debates and political fights to find common sense, practical solutions which get the best for the British people". Lord Kinnock said: "He's doing it while very rigorously trying to fulfil his mandate not to go back into the single market and customs union." But he warned: "Here's the problem. The government has rightly - absolutely rightly - got ambition to secure sustained, high levels of economic growth. I don't think we can do that outside the single market and customs unions."

BrewDog has its beers axed by nearly 2,000 pubs as bars turn away from embattled brewer - as CEO warns it will make loss for third year in a row
BrewDog has its beers axed by nearly 2,000 pubs as bars turn away from embattled brewer - as CEO warns it will make loss for third year in a row

Daily Mail​

time16 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

BrewDog has its beers axed by nearly 2,000 pubs as bars turn away from embattled brewer - as CEO warns it will make loss for third year in a row

BrewDog's beers have been axed by almost 2,000 pubs across Britain as the embattled brewers' popularity continues to wane. The company's range of draught beers have disappeared entirely from around 1,860 pubs in the last two years, according to private industry data. The blow means BrewDog's UK distribution has been cut by more than a third. It also shows that its best-known beer, Punk IPA, has suffered the worst loss after being removed from 1,980 pubs – a 52 per cent decline in distribution. Pubs are now reducing their offerings or opting for rival beers such as Camden Town and Beavertown instead. The data, which was seen by the Telegraph, revealed most of the pubs scrapping BrewDog beers are part of large chains, removing a key source of revenue for the brewer at the same time as it struggles to revive its fortunes. The collapse in BrewDog's UK distribution comes as CEO James Taylor recently told investors that its financials did not make for 'happy reading'. BrewDog has recorded losses of £59m in 2023 and £30.5m in 2022. Mr Taylor admitted in a recent interview that the company would be making another loss this year. Mr Taylor is the second new CEO to take over since founder James Watt stepped back amidst a flurry of accusations of improper conduct. An industry insider believes the pub retrenchment will make BrewDog ever more reliant on JD Wetherspoon, whose 794 pubs now make up a significant chunk of its remaining distribution. Lauren Caroll, BrewDog's chief operating officer, said: 'Independent brewers across the board have felt the squeeze from the economic pressures hitting the pub trade. 'With costs rising and consumers watching their spend, pub groups have been narrowing their ranges, and brewery-owned pubs are putting more emphasis on their own brands. 'It's not just us – every independent brewer has been affected. We saw the trend coming, which is why we've shifted focus to high-impact channels like festivals, stadiums, and independent [pubs].' Last month, the company announced the closure of 10 of its own branded bars across the UK, including its flagship site in Aberdeen, after deciding they were not 'commercially viable'. And the chain had started the year by closing six pubs across the world, including two in England, three in Europe and one in England. BrewDog has weathered a number of publicity storms in recent years as its reputation has taken a hammering. But it has also faced stiff competition from new entrants into the 'craft beer' market. It was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, rising to prominence in the 2010s amid a surge in demand for independent beers and hoppy IPAs. Watt showed a knack for marketing and drove up the brand's popularity with stunts such as driving a tank through London and brewing what it claimed was the world's strongest beer. However in recent years, the company's fortunes have started to turn after it emerged staff reported being unhappy working there. BrewDog is on its third CEO in just over a year after Watt stepped back from the role in May 2024, three months after Ofcom rejected a complaint he had lodged against the BBC after it made a documentary outlining misconduct allegations. He denied claims that he made female bartenders feel 'uncomfortable' and 'powerless' and that he would take intoxicated women on private late-night tours of the brewery. He then married Made In Chelsea media personality Georgia Toffolo earlier this year, and has become a frequent critic of the Labour government on LinkedIn. The self-described BrewDog 'Captain' faced a number of improper conduct allegations in 2021 concerning female staff, and was revealed to have invested in Heineken, contrasting with his brewery's anti-establishment 'punk' image. Months before he quit, he announced that the firm would pay staff the 'real' Living Wage as calculated by the Resolution Foundation as it struggled to turn a profit. The firm is continuing to weather accusations of an image problem after ditching its claim to be 'carbon negative' after it ditched offsetting schemes that it claimed were both too expensive and not efficient enough to justify the label. It had already been criticised for using the label by advertising watchdogs, and was slammed by environmentalists for its claim of creating a carbon-negative forest in Scotland after it was revealed that half of the 500,000 saplings had already died. Despite this, CEO James Taylor told the Grocer in June that he did not believe the firm had an image problem. He said: 'It's boring to focus on data, but the data says consumers think of us as a business that produces really high-quality beer. That's how we're perceived by the vast majority of the public.' Further criticism has been heaped on BrewDog's decision to sell a stake in the company to the American private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners in 2017, which minted Watt and Dickie as millionaires. BrewDog's latest blow comes as a political storm continues to rumble over the Government's lack of support for the pub trade. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been blamed for pushing restaurants and pubs into 'survival mode' as two venues have shut per day for the first half of 2025. Data shows the number of hospitality sites plunged by 374 to 98,746 sites at the end of June, sparking fresh concerns about the fight for survival faced by many businesses. It means that the sector is now 14.2 per cent smaller than at the start of Covid in March 2020, with more than 16,000 net closures over the past five years. Researchers pointed to a cocktail of costs, including higher National Insurance contributions for employers, business rates and wages. The worrying figures come just weeks after TV star and landlord Jeremy Clarkson, told The Mail on Sunday that penalising business rates had left publicans 'like Butch and Sundance at the end of the movie – taking fire from absolutely everywhere'.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store