Budget cuts 'will hit jobs creation' in region

The chief executive officer of the Yorkshire Universities group, Prof Roger Lewis, fears higher education in the region may never recover from the "savage" cuts being planned by the coalition Government.

Universities are expecting to see their budgets cut by at least 25 per cent in the Comprehensive Spending Review amid uncertainty over how tuition fees will operate in future.

Prof Lewis has warned that a significant reduction in public funding for higher education means the majority of the cost of providing tuition would need to be provided by the student.

It has also been suggested that the Browne Review of higher education funding could make recommendations which see fees rising to up to 10,000 a year with some popular subject areas like arts and humanities receiving no public funding at all.

Prof Lewis said: "Universities in Yorkshire offer an unequalled choice of subjects which is one of the reasons the region has such an excellent reputation for world class research and why we attract top quality students.

"However, there is a very real danger that the balance of subjects will change with a narrowing focus on science, technology, engineering and maths.

"This will have a particular impact on home-based students, narrowing the choices available to people who are not able to travel outside their region to study at university."

Prof Lewis fears the cuts will also undermine the contribution universities make to the regional economy, currently valued at 3.68bn a year.

The higher education sector is already facing cuts in funding approaching 1bn before any decisions are announced in the Chancellor's spending review.