Fresh start is now essential

IN the wake of the financial mismanagement presided over by its cavalier former vice-chancellor Simon Lee, whether it be its sporting partnerships or lax protocols governing the expenses claimed by senior staff, Leeds Metropolitan University has had to instigate a number of significant changes to its senior management team. These appointees are already working tirelessly to restore the institution's tarnished reputation.

The university would not have faced such an embarrassing predicament, however, if its board of governors had been sufficiently robust in holding Mr Lee to account at the outset of his spending spree. Yet they failed in this important and basic duty of governance, as revealed by the latest report into the inadequate running of the university. They will say that Ninian Watt, the former chairman, has now departed and that they are the best qualified people to oversee the necessary changes.

It is a position that is, frankly, unsustainable following the seriousness of the criticisms levelled by outside experts, and the complacent response of the governors. These are not matters that can be swept under the carpet; they have long-term repercussions for the university's students and the partnerships pursued by Mr Lee, including Leeds Met's tie-up with cash-strapped Yorkshire County Cricket Club. They also involved the misuse of significant sums of money, a point overlooked by the governors concerned.

Agreeing, belatedly, to review the payments they receive will also not suffice; other universities only pay expenses to their board members and another example of Leeds Met's mismanagement was the fact that one governor was able to successfully claim 3,000 for attending a

single meeting.

Such arrangements should never have been authorised, or adhered to, in the first place and they offer further proof, if any were needed, that Leeds Metropolitan University needs a completely fresh start if

it is to regain the confidence of staff and students alike, while also coming to terms with a whole new set of financial challenges facing the entire higher education sector.

In every walk of public life, there is an expectation that officials accept responsibility for their decisions – and Leeds Met is no exception to this rule. It is why it is time for the university's governors to put the wider public interest first.