Union brands London Met cuts an ‘act of institutional vandalism’

London Metropolitan University has announced plans to cut more than 100 academic roles, in a move a union has described as a “reckless assault on inclusive education”. 

Proposals outlined by the institution amount to a loss of 108.7 full-time equivalent academic jobs, and the University and College Union (UCU) branch said research-active staff, including readers, associate professors, and professors are being disproportionately targeted.

London Met has a reputation for attracting students who are carers, working class, mature, disabled or first generation, and UCU argued that cuts will “permanently damage access to higher education for the communities the university was created to serve”.

Christina Paine, from London Met’s UCU branch, said the proposals are “an act of institutional vandalism”. 

“This will devastate teaching, destroy research capacity, and hit working-class and marginalised students hardest. London Met is being dismantled by design – and we will fight it with all we have.”

UCU claimed that management had not produced a financial case showing that the redundancies were necessary, and the union argued that the long-term damage to students and staff had not been considered carefully enough.

In its latest accounts, published late last year, the university posted an operating deficit of £12 million – compared with a £1.5 million surplus in 2023-24 – with total income falling by £20 million.

London Met said it had been “one of the most difficult years for higher education in recent memory”, with costs rising faster than income, fees remaining frozen and international recruitment becoming more volatile, but a spokesperson insisted that the university remained stable and debt free. They said at the time that it had a “clear plan to return to surplus while maintaining the high-quality experience our students and staff deserve”.

The latest cuts come as staff at Durham University are set to begin voting on whether to take industrial action over workload concerns.

Asked about its latest cuts plans, a London Met spokesperson said it was “operating in a very challenging financial environment shaped by rising costs and changes to government policy”. 

“We are currently consulting with academic staff on proposals designed to ensure the university’s long-term sustainability while protecting our core mission of delivering high-quality education and support for our students,” they added.

“Any proposed changes are being considered carefully, through formal consultation processes, and no final decisions have been made. Our priority is to manage our resources responsibly, minimise compulsory redundancies wherever possible, and ensure the university remains financially stable and well placed for the future.”

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com