London universities make millions from library fines

The amount of money London's universities are receiving in library fines is falling

Universities in London are raking in millions of pounds in student library fines, it has been revealed.

Figures obtained by the BBC show that 21 universities in the capital made £3,030,128.11 over the past three academic years.

King's College London tops the list, having accrued £388,602.06.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has criticised the system saying it is "not workable" for students or universities.

King's College London insists there is a "heavy demand" on its library resources and any money received through the fines is "reinvested".

Middlesex University, University of Greenwich, University College London and University of the Arts London make up the rest of the top five of the 21 universities sampled.

Bottom of the table is University of Westminster, which says it has not received a penny in library fines since the "1990s", choosing instead to "block" students from borrowing books for a period of time.

London School of Economics (LSE) said it stopped issuing fines in August 2014.

Total amount selected universities received

A spokeswoman for University of Westminster said: "Our rationale is that suspending library lending for a period that matches any overdue borrowing is a more equitable way to encourage good library habits."

A King's College spokeswoman said issuing fines was a way to "ensure that books are returned".

"To help avoid charging fines, the due date is made clear, email reminders are issued before books are due back and there are various ways of renewing or returning books 24 hours a day," she said.

"Library staff also have the discretion to waive fines in mitigating circumstances."

'Not workable'

Izzy Lenga, NUS vice-president for welfare, said library fines added to the financial worries of students.

"In many cases, institutions have prevented students with accommodation arrears or library fines from obtaining their degree or enrolling for their next year of student," she said.

"They must find solutions to students repaying [non-academic] debt as the current system is not workable for the university or the student."

The money received by the 21 universities has fallen each academic year since 2014, from £1,236,545.86 to £779,247.09 in 2016/17, as more academic resources go online.

Combined amount of money received by 21 London universities

Middlesex University received £131,326.29 from fines in 2014/15 but by 2016/2017 this had fallen to £91,400.31.

A spokeswoman for Middlesex University said fines acted as an "incentive" to return books on time and the money was reinvested to support student services.

"There is a downward trend in fines and we predict this will continue as we move from a print-based service to one where most information is delivered digitally," she said.

Library fines received by London universities from 2014-17

1. King's College London - £388,602.06

2. Middlesex University - £336,493.56

3. University of Greenwich - £312,798.00

4. University College London - £282,202.19

5. University of the Arts London - £221,281.00

6. Goldsmiths, University of London - £218,806.00

7. Queen Mary University of London - £189,677.17

8. City University London - £172,274.61

9. London Metropolitan University - £171,591.00

10. London South Bank University - £159,408.00

11. Kingston University - £122,916.13

12. Birkbeck, University of London - £109,636.99

13. SOAS, University of London - £92,433.00

14. St Mary's University, Twickenham - £78,287.16

15. University of West London - £66,010.51

16. Brunel University London - £47,208.01

17. St George's University of London - £36,508.72

18. University of East London - £12,368.00

19. Imperial College London - £10,225.00

20. London School of Economics - £1,401.00

21. University of Westminster - £0

22. University of Roehampton - did not respond to FOI request