Bishop Grosseteste University cuts jobs for £1.5m savings

Redundancies are being made for 11 members of staff at Bishop Grosseteste University, in a bid to save up to £1.5 million due to financial impacts from COVID-19 and the rising cost of living.

In a letter sent to affected staff members, the university outlined its plans to cut back on budgets and be more cost-efficient given the financial challenges of the past couple of years.

A list of priorities were drawn up to reflect the “existential crisis” facing Bishop Grosseteste University, as bosses scramble to grow student fee income (a major revenue player for the university).

An effort was made to make a 15% saving across all parts of the staff base budget, which would ultimately save the university an additional £1.5 million and help manage any financial difficulties.

BGU says 11 of its 326 staff members across both academic and professional services are in the process of being made redundant – which equates to 3.69% of the workforce.

Course closures will not happen and student learning will not be affected by these redundancies, according to the university, and it said it is supporting any staff members that will be made redundant.

A BGU spokesperson told The Lincolnite: “As a result of the financial impact of the pandemic and the rising cost of living, we have had to take difficult but responsible measures to ensure the ongoing financial stability of the university.

“Over the last year, we have implemented cost-saving measures including a voluntary leavers scheme, vacancy management and scrutinizing non-pay budgets, but unfortunately, we have had to make exceptionally difficult decisions to evaluate our staffing structure which is leading to 11 proposed redundancies across academic and professional services staff. 

“The proposal will not lead to course closures or impact student learning, and we will continue to consult with the unions and have steps in place to support the affected staff members during this time.”