Ex-finance chief at crisis-hit university says he ‘could have done a lot better'
Peter Fotheringham spoke out the day after the Scottish Government stepped in and used special powers to award £40 million directly to the university – whose interim principal quit last week after a report criticised him and others.
The university is currently seeking to cut up to 300 jobs as it seeks to deal with a £35 million deficit.
Professor Shane O'Neill, who up until last week was the interim principal and vice-chancellor there, has previously told MSPs on Holyrood's Education Committee that the scale of the financial problems only 'crystallised' in November last year.
He quit that post however after a report by former Glasgow Caledonian University principal Professor Pamela Gillies criticised senior figures at the university.
Members of the university executive group (UEG), which included the 'triumvirate' of Prof O'Neill, his predecessor former principal Professor Iain Gillespie and ex-chief operating officer Dr Jim McGeorge, were found to have 'failed' to 'properly respond to the worsening situation' and disclose the looming crisis to other university officials.
Dr McGeorge, appearing before the committee on Wednesday, said he was 'deeply and unreservedly sorry' for the situation at Dundee University.
He spent 16 years at the university, saying he had 'championed what it does through good times and through challenging times, including some previous financial difficulties'.
He added: 'Through the period covered by the report I tried to do my very best for the university, in good conscience, and on the basis of the information that was available to me.
'Where I have been found wanting or fallen short, either personally or collectively, I am deeply and unreservedly sorry for that.
'It would never have been my intention to do anything other than my very best for a university that I love and that I have served for over half my career.'
However he told the committee that leading figures at the university 'did not spot early enough the fact that the university as heading towards this crisis'.
He added: 'We should have done. I am hugely regretful and sorry that we did not.'
Committee convener Douglas Ross insisted that Dr McGeorge holds 'a significant amount of blame' for the university's situation.
The former chief operating officer however claimed he was 'equally as responsible as others' – although he said he wished decisions on cost-saving measures had been made earlier in March of last year.
'I think about that every single day at the moment and have done for some considerable period of time,' he told the committee.
But he insisted: 'I am not trying to shirk blame in any shape or form, I accept my share of responsibility for what happened to the university and the position it finds itself in.'
Mr Fotheringham meanwhile told the committee that the institution had 'not been in a strong financial position' for 'well over 10 years'.
But asked when the situation started to give him sleepless nights, he said that only happened 'as late' as September 2024.
Joe FitzPatrick, the SNP MSP for Dundee City West, told him: 'The fact that you didn't realise till September is the thing that folk who are watching – students, lecturers, staff – they will find that incredible that folk in your position have not realised how bad things were until that late. It is incredible.'
Mr Fotheringham responded: 'Absolutely and that has given me sleepless nights ever since September, if I'm honest with you.'
He left the university in October 2024, and is currently unemployed, telling the committee: 'I absolutely understand I could have done a lot better.'
And he said he took his 'share of responsibility in terms of the current position of the university'.
Mr Fotheringham added: 'The position that it now finds itself in is obviously deeply upsetting for all of us and I am very sorry for any part I played in that.'
But he also insisted: 'I thought it was very clear to everybody, the whole leadership team, that we did need to reduce costs. We had those discussions in late 2023 and early 2024.'
However SNP MSP George Adam accused the men of having 'tanked' the university.
He said there had been a 'systematic failure at every single point' at Dundee, including 'poor financial judgment, failure to act in real time on clear warning signs' as well as 'overly optimistic budget assumptions' and 'weak internal controls'.
Mr Adam described the problems as a 'perfect storm' as he told the witnesses: 'You nearly tanked the university. You nearly tanked one of the oldest universities in Scotland.'
The MSP added: 'I don't understand how people like yourselves can get yourselves into that position.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
14 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Starmer seeking to quell revolt over welfare reform plan
Downing Street insiders said talks were taking place with Labour MPs about the legislation after 126 of them publicly backed a move to block the legislation. The first vote on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill is due to take place on Tuesday and a concerted effort has been launched by ministers to win round potential rebels. A No 10 source said: 'The broken welfare system is failing the most vulnerable and holding too many people back. 'It's fair and responsible to fix it. There is broad consensus across the party on this.' The source insisted the reforms were 'underpinned by… Labour values'. They said: 'Delivering fundamental change is not easy, and we all want to get it right, so of course we're talking to colleagues about the Bill and the changes it will bring, we want to start delivering this together on Tuesday.' Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said talks between backbenchers and the Government were 'ongoing' as six more Labour MPs added their names to the rebel amendment that would halt the legislation in its tracks. The reasoned amendment argues that disabled people have not been properly consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed. The new signatories include the Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee chairman Toby Perkins, Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell, Newcastle upon Tyne MP Mary Glindon and Tamworth MP Sarah Edwards. North Ayrshire and Arran MP Irene Campbell and Colchester MP Pam Cox, both of whom won their seats in the party's 2024 landslide election victory, have also added their names. The new names take the total number of Labour backbenchers supporting the amendment, tabled by Treasury Select Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier, to 126. The plans restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limit the sickness-related element of universal credit. The Government hopes the changes will get more people back into work and save up to £5 billion a year. Existing claimants will be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support, a move seen as a bid to head off opposition by aiming to soften the impact of the changes. But the fact so many Labour MPs are prepared to put their names to the 'reasoned amendment' calling for a change of course shows how entrenched the opposition remains. One backbencher preparing to vote against the Bill told the PA news agency: 'A lot of people have been saying they're upset about this for months. 'To leave it until a few days before the vote, it's not a very good way of running the country. 'It's not very grown-up.' They said that minor concessions would not be enough, warning: 'I don't think you can tinker with this. They need to go back to the drawing board.' The Daily Telegraph reported that potential concessions being considered include a commitment to speed up payment of support to help people back into work and offering assurances that reviews of policies in this area will be published. Meanwhile, The Times reported some MPs opposed to the plans had blamed Sir Keir's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and suggested the time had come for 'regime change' in Downing Street. Asked about attacks on Mr McSweeney, trade minister Douglas Alexander said: 'I'm much less interested in the gossip about SW1 than whether this legislation works on the streets, in the towns, in the communities right across the country.' He said it was 'for the Prime Minister to make his judgments' about who works in Downing Street but the fact is that team delivered us an historic victory only last July, against expectations'. Mr Alexander said: 'The task of government is hard, there are always going to be people with strong opinions on all sides of an issue like welfare reform.'
The National
15 minutes ago
- The National
100 charities challenge Scottish Labour MPs to oppose UK welfare cuts
Charities including The Poverty Alliance, Carers Scotland, and Glasgow Disability Alliance have written a joint letter to Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, and all of Scotland's MPs, urging them to vote against the planned welfare cuts. The Labour Government's Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill aims to cut back disability benefit payments by around £5 billion per year. The SNP have made clear that their MPs will be opposing the changes. In the letter, the charities highlight that an estimated 400,000 people will be pushed into poverty if the changes to Personal Independence Payments (Pip) and Universal Credit go ahead. READ MORE: Scottish Enterprise to keep funding Israel-linked arms firms, Kate Forbes says They also warned MPs that the proposed cuts will mean 'destitution and misery' for many sick and disabled people, along with others in their households, including children and unpaid carers. 'This is a question about the kind of society we want to be,' the letter reads. 'Scotland is a country that believes in justice and compassion, and people want our governments to make decisions which align with those values. 'We urge ministers to drop these proposals. We urge Scottish MPs to vote against these cuts, sending a strong, positive message to disabled people and carers in Scotland that this Government will build a country free from poverty, not one that forces people into deeper poverty and destitution.' MPs are expected to get their first chance to vote on the cuts in the Commons on July 1. However, more than 130 Labour MPs' signatures have appeared on a reasoned amendment explaining why they cannot support the Labour Government's proposals to slash welfare spending. If passed, which it could with support from opposition parties, the amendment would block the bill from progressing to its second reading when it returns to the Commons and would hand Keir Starmer his first major defeat of his time as Prime Minister. The amendment notes that the UK Government's 'own impact assessment estimates that 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of [the bill], including 50,000 children'. Peter Kelly, chief executive of The Poverty Alliance, said the UK Government's plans to press ahead with the bill would mean more disabled people living in poverty, relying on food banks, and being pushed into destitution. He said: 'People are desperate for the UK Government to deliver a just and compassionate society – but these proposals will deliver the opposite. 'If enacted, these cuts will mean more disabled people living in poverty, relying on foodbanks, and pushed into destitution. That's not the change people voted for at the last general election.' Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has supported the UK Government's plans to cut welfare despite unease among his group. At the time of writing, 11 Scottish Labour MPs had signed the rebel amendment. Starmer said on Wednesday morning: 'We're pressing on with a vote on this because we need to bring about reform.' (Image: PA) Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner clarified that a vote would be going ahead, despite reports that the UK Government was planning to delay it due to the scale of the rebellion. Fiona Collie of Carers Scotland said an estimated 50,000 unpaid carers across the UK stand to lose carers' benefits as a direct result of the changes. She said: 'We need a government that will reduce the poverty that unpaid carers face. If these cuts go ahead, even more of them will be pushed into crisis – leaving people struggling to afford food, heating, and other essentials. 'We estimate that around 150,000 unpaid carers across the UK stands to lose carers' benefits as a direct result of these changes. That's completely wrong - and any MP who votes to inflict that kind of deliberate harm on people in their constituency will have to justify themselves to electors.' In a survey last year, 71% of Glasgow Disability Alliance members said they didn't have enough money to manage the cost of their needs, 68% couldn't afford utilities, and 58% couldn't manage the costs of food and essential groceries. Tressa Burke of the Glasgow Disability Alliance added that the cuts will undermine disabled people's human rights and leave them facing even greater inequality and discrimination. She said: 'It is shameful to try to balance the nation's books on the backs of disabled people. We have around 6000 members who have already suffered the worst impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, and more than a decade of austerity and social security cuts. 'These plans will cause untold harm to many disabled people and push them into destitution. It will undermine their human rights and leave them facing even greater inequality and discrimination. 'If MPs in Scotland support these heartless cuts, it will be a bleak day indeed. They will absolutely not get people into work, and will act as a reason to fall out of work too, where PIP has been topping up low-paid work.' A UK Government spokesperson said: 'We are determined to create a welfare system – backed by dedicated employment support we are investing in now – that will help people into work and out of poverty in all parts of the country. 'We will never compromise on protecting people who need our support, and our reforms will mean the social security system will always be there for those who will never be able to work. 'We are working with devolved administrations to ensure their views are at the heart of what we do, which is why we held Green Paper consultation events in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.' Scottish Labour has been approached for comment.
The Herald Scotland
23 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
The Future of Torness – Find all articles in the series here
With no plans to replace it, and the Scottish Government staunchly opposed to any new nuclear, its closure after forty years of generating electricity, will mark the end of nuclear power in Scotland. Even as, in England, investment in new nuclear power is driving forward plans for Sizewell C and Rolls Royce small modular reactors, the SNP appears steadfast in rejecting it. Against this backdrop of political tension, The Herald has teamed up with the East Lothian Courier for an in-depth series, The Future of Torness. Our team of journalists has worked together to look at everything from the current state and safety of Torness to ideas for its future, from decommissioning to fresh new options for the site. Follow along with all the articles in the series here. Torness is set to close in 2030. The Herald and East Lothian Courier have teamed up to investigate the future of the site and its workers. Day One Plans have been brought forward for two new nuclear reactors in Scotland, reports Brian Donnelly. Each year, Torness Power Station brings in the region of about £45 million to the local economy but what will the town do without this money? Cameron Ritchie reports. Torness nuclear power station is set to close in five years. Here's what a tour of its reactor and workers taught Vicky Allan about its future. Plans for new reactors in Scotland have followed a promise of a 'golden nuclear age' ahead, reports Brian Donnelly. It is hard to imagine John Swinney swinging from the chandeliers but, in another world, the first minister might be bringing down the ceilings in Bute House, writes GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour.
