Lords criticise University of East Anglia's arts jobs cut plan

Students have protested against cuts at the University of East Anglia

House of Lords members have criticised a university's plans to cut jobs in its arts and humanities department.

The University of East Anglia (UEA) aims to lose more than 30 academic posts, most in arts and humanities, as it tries to tackle a £30m deficit.

One peer described the move as "sad and very tragic" while others said it was a sign the government was not encouraging arts and humanities.

UEA said the subject areas would be maintained.

Historian Baron Kenneth Morgan, who has lectured at the UEA, said it was "bad news for a distinguished department at a good university".

The Earl of Clancarty said the cuts, which would include staff working on the globally renowned creative writing course, were "shocking".

"They are the latest in a pattern of such cuts in universities across the country, which is a result of a long term downgrading by this government of arts education" he said.

The university has to make £30m savings by September

Other peers also expressed concern about what they feared was a decline in the importance of the arts.

Labour's Baroness Andrews spoke about a colleague she used to work with when a teacher who had "exceptional teaching skills honed studying the arts at UEA".

"What is the government doing to ensure such motivating arts teachers continue to graduate from our universities and thus inspire a love of the arts among our children," she asked.

Education Minister Baroness Barran rejected claims the government was not supporting the arts, pointing out the percentage of undergraduates taking arts and humanities had barely changed in recent years.

On the UEA's problems she said: "I appreciate there are individual universities who are under financial pressure but they are autonomous institutions and who need to run their own finances."

The UEA said all subject areas in the faculty of arts and humanities at would will be maintained including the creative writing course.

It blames, in part, a 16% drop in student applications this year for its problems and said it hoped to achieve the staff reductions through voluntary redundancy.