Bedfordshire to cut 240 jobs amid expected £5 million deficit

The University of Bedfordshire has announced plans to cut more than 200 jobs, leaving staff “shell shocked”, unions said.

Technical and professional services roles are set to be most affected as the university looks to manage an anticipated £5 million deficit for next year, caused primarily by a drop in international student recruitment.

Overall, nearly 240 existing posts are expected to go, but the university has told Unison and the University and College Union (UCU) it intends to create an additional 160 new jobs, with staff threatened with redundancy invited to apply.

The university also announced plans to merge faculties and schools to cut spending, which could lead to fewer staff and less-specialised support for students, the unions warned.

They argued that the cuts will “make life worse for students”, adding that the shortfall follows “substantial” surpluses over the last five years totalling more than £60 million. This, they claimed, has led to the university holding reserves of more than £200 million.

Bedfordshire denied that students would be affected, adding that the changes were necessary to ensure its long term sustainability, with job losses kept to a minimum.

The latest cuts follow major job losses across UK higher education, with the University of Dundee most recently announcing the highest number of redundancies to date, with 632 jobs going.

In total, the UCU anticipates that job losses could hit 10,000 in the sector this academic year, sparking calls for the government to launch an emergency fund to protect staff.

Teisha Leight, eastern regional organiser for Unison, said that the cuts at Bedfordshire will have a “real impact” on students at the institution.

“These staff do essential jobs at the university, ensuring courses run smoothly, supporting student welfare, managing technology and so much more,” she said. “The university must come up with a long-term plan to prevent compulsory redundancies, retain experienced staff, and maintain the quality of education for students.”

Meanwhile, Alex Eastwood, regional officer for UCU, said that staff were “shellshocked at the number of jobs the university wants to slash”.

“We are calling on the vice-chancellor to think again and to stop trying to use staff as the shock absorbers for management’s financial failings.”

A Bedfordshire spokesperson said it had faced “financial challenges due to frozen tuition fees, rising costs, and declining international student numbers”.

“Despite cost-saving measures such as a voluntary severance scheme, pausing recruitment to vacant posts, and reducing non-pay expenditure to save millions, further steps are needed for long-term stability,” they added.

“We are consulting with staff on a proposed restructuring to secure our future success while minimising job losses. This decision was not made lightly, and we are committed to supporting staff throughout the process.

“These changes will not affect students, as they focus on the management and organisation of our faculties and professional services. We remain dedicated to providing students with the resources and support they need to succeed.”

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com