University of Lincoln under 'growing' financial pressure

The university has about 18,000 students and just over 2,000 staff

The University of Lincoln says it is under "growing" financial pressure and must take steps to reduce costs.

A spokesperson said it was due to a number of factors, including a freeze in tuition fees and high inflation.

The university said it would do "everything possible" to achieve the necessary savings through normal staff turnover.

However, officials said they could not rule out the possibility of redundancies "in some form".

The university, which was recently awarded the highest national honour in UK further and higher education for its work on sustainability in the UK's food and farming industries, has about 18,000 students and just over 2,000 staff.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "Like many UK universities, our finances are under growing pressure from the continued freeze in the home undergraduate tuition fee, volatility in international student recruitment, additional pension costs, and high inflation.

"Given this challenging external environment, with rising costs and declining real terms income, we are looking to take pragmatic steps to reduce our cost base.

"Although our finances are sound, we need to act now to ensure the university remains financially sustainable into the future.

"The university will be consulting with our trade unions and engaging with colleagues and students over the coming months as plans develop," the spokesperson added.

In response, University and College Union (UCU) regional official Julie Cooper said it was shameful for management "to in one breath state its finances are sound, yet in the next threaten job cuts".

"Management needs to work with UCU as the recognised trade union to protect jobs. Redundancies must always be a last resort," she added.

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