03-06-2025
Under-threat University of Bedfordshire staff join mass lobby in Westminster
University staff have been lobbying MPs in Westminster as part of a campaign to save their jobs, amid warnings "students are sure to suffer."Staff at the University of Bedfordshire joined other higher education workers from across the country, to highlight the scale of the "funding crisis" facing the sector.
The University has told around 240 staff from the Luton and Bedford campuses that their jobs are at risk as it seeks to make £5 million in savings this year.
The university is inviting staff whose jobs are under threat to apply for around 160 new roles being created.
Loretta Gora, a learning and teaching administrator at the university, said: "It's about funding.
"We're in a funding crisis, we're cutting jobs, we're cutting opportunities for students in the future and very importantly, we're affecting the economy in our hometown.
"Once the students have gone, they won't be coming back and we need to see another way of funding the universities."
A spokesperson for Bedfordshire University said, "Like many universities, we face financial challenges due to frozen tuition fees, rising costs, and declining international student numbers.
"Despite cost-saving measures such as a voluntary severance scheme, pausing recruitment to vacant posts, and reducing non-pay expenditure to save millions, further steps are needed for long-term stability.
'These changes will not affect students, as they focus on the management and organisation of our faculties and professional services. We remain dedicated to providing students with the resources and support they need to succeed.'
The University of Bedfordshire is one of 70 across the country cutting staff numbers to save cash, according to May, the University of Suffolk announced it was considering cutting 35 jobs as it needed to take immediate action to save £3.5 million.
In November 2024, the University of Essex joined other higher education institutions trying to balance the books, by announcing plans to cut 200 jobs.
UNISON Eastern regional organiser Teisha Leigh said: 'Universities across the country have suffered years of underfunding leaving them unable to weather the storm of falling student numbers.'At the University of Bedfordshire, this means hundreds of experienced and dedicated staff being told their jobs could be going.
"Students are sure to suffer if these jobs cuts go ahead.'
The Department for Education said it is committed to the future of higher education and that it recognises the economic importance of universities.
It added that it will set out plans for the reform of higher education later this summer.
