Date: 26 August 2025 Dear Pro-Chancellor and lay members of the University Council Copy: Chancellor Alan Milburn; UCU members; Dr Jo Grady, UCU General Secretary; Unite; Unison; Prof Decent, incoming Vice-Chancellor; LUSU; Cat Smith, MP; Lizzi Collinge, MP; Caroline Jackson, Leader of Lancaster City Council; Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education; Baroness Smith, Minister … Continue reading Lancaster University in a death spiral?
There is no credible financial, strategic, operational or governance justification for compulsory redundancies. The current situation highlights the failings of leadership and governance rather than a genuine financial necessity. LUCU believes that the University should prioritise voluntary measures, natural attrition, non-payroll savings, use of reserves, adjustment of financial targets and KPIs, and halt capital expansion immediately, rather than dismantling the academic base and its supporting professional staff, which have secured the University’s top-10 position in the UK. University Council and senior management must be held accountable for opaque decisions that place private partnerships and surplus metrics ahead of staff, students, and the community.
Dear LUCU members, This week we set the focus on trust and working on partnership. We must do so because the period of consultation is coming to an end, and our interim VC, director of PoE, and interim COO, continue being elusive and not providing clear and detailed answers to our questions. The vagueness on … Continue reading LUCU Update 24th September 2025
Dear LUCU members, Thank you all for your messages and suggestions to help us engage with senior management so far. Tomorrow another consultation meeting takes place and we will be well represented there. We would like to extend a special thanks to reps today. We know the past week has been a very busy one … Continue reading LUCU Update 11th September 2025
Dear LUCU members, As the end of the summer looms on the horizon, and we return to our workspaces on/off campus, let's remember to keep our fight and our mutual support at the forefront. A strong turnout in the ballot is the strongest leverage for us to negotiate! With that in mind, this week we … Continue reading LUCU members update 3 September 2025
Lancaster UCU is pleased to have received a statement of support below from Councillors Maria Deery and Tom Fish, who represent the University ward on the local Council. Lancaster University is a cornerstone of the area, providing countless jobs and economic growth to its citizens. A sentiment shared by Prof Sarah Kemp stating in her … Continue reading “Rule out mass job cuts”, say University ward councillors
Dear Members Please see update below. It is a difficult time – please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need any support or help. We will do our best. Stay strong ! 1. The Political battle We continue with our political campaign to raise awareness of the devasting impact which 450+ redundancies will have … Continue reading LUCU members update 20 August 2025
Lancaster UCU's campaign to stop mass redundancies at Lancaster University continues to attract support. Now it has the backing of local Labour and Green parties who are standing firmly with staff and unions. Both the Lancaster City Council Labour Group and the North Lancashire Green Party have issued powerful statements of support, making clear that … Continue reading Local Political Parties Stand with Lancaster University Staff
In June 2025, Lancaster University released its “Future Academic and Professional Services Blueprints and Implementation Roadmap,” a document intended to set out a transformative plan for the institution’s future. Produced with input from external consultancy KPMG, the report positions itself as a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy to deliver substantial financial savings and structural reform. Yet, on … Continue reading Challenging the Blueprint: A Critical Response to Lancaster University’s KPMG Report
Dear LUCU members We have now received the KPMG report – see below. It is redacted, as expected. The reasons for redactions and refusal to disclose the full report are outlined in the attachments. We will take further advice on the report (in terms of partial disclosure and redactions); as well as take time over … Continue reading KPMG report via Freedom of Information request
Lancaster UCU 