After a sweltering summer that ended abruptly with a new Prime Minister and the death of a monarch, we find ourselves in uncharted territory. With a recession looming and millions on the brink of poverty due to rocketing energy costs, the new PM has made it clear her overarching priority will be to increase productivity and growth. Amid this crisis, higher education is unlikely to be at the forefront of ministers’ minds, despite its surprising prominence in the leadership campaign. ‘The Treasury is worried about a lot of things … but it’s not particularly worried about you’, UUK’s new Chief Executive, Vivienne Stern, told the nation’s Vice Chancellors in her inaugural address.
Higher education emerged relatively unscathed from the austerity years, thanks to the removal of restrictions on places (except for medical and dental degrees) and the trebling of tuition fees. These changes took place when other parts of the public sector had their budgets slashed. However, rampant inflation, energy prices and the tuition fee freeze mean that universities – and their staff and students – are unlikely to be so lucky this time around. UUK’s calls for an increase in hardship funding and maintenance support are extremely timely.
