Staff at Yorkshire university face uncertainty as new round of cuts announced

The University of Hull, which announced in July that it had to make £25 million cuts by 2021, said six areas were affected.

They include non-academic staff working in ICT & Library Services, Research & Innovation, Human Resources, Finance, Estates, Student Recruitment and Marketing.

So far the University has made around £15 million cutbacks, and has approved 236 applications by non-academic staff for voluntary exit, while making savings in other areas, including reducing energy bills.

It said it had now “opened consultation with colleagues on proposals to reshape six Professional Services areas and the work delivered by these teams to further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their services”.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Susan Lea said their priority was to support affected staff and to ensure students got the service they expected.

She said: “Our firm focus is on always delivering a high-quality experience to our students and undertaking excellent and impactful research.

“Our responsibility is to serve our communities by being the best university we can be.

“This means constantly evolving to meet changing external demands, ensuring our financial sustainability and improving our quality.”

Final proposals are expected to go to the University’s Leadership Team for consideration or decisions by November 26.