The countless stakeholders with an interest in the plethora of university league tables that have sprung up in recent years are waiting with bated breath for the results of a report by funding chiefs on the tables' influence and impact. But some have concerns about how independent the study will be. Patrick Kennedy, head of planning at Exeter University, is the adviser to the funding council's steering group for the study. Could this be the same Patrick Kennedy, of Exeter University, who was contracted by The Times newspaper as "lead consultant" to crunch the numbers for its annual league tables, which were published this month?