Fillip to defeated reform

A letter from funding chief David Eastwood to Oxford's vice-chancellor John Hood this week raised hopes of more acceptable proposals for the reform of governance at the institution. In the letter, Professor Eastwood, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, states that the council still supports the reforms, defeated by Congregation, but that it expects Dr Hood to explain how the reforms will move forward.

Academics who voted down the reforms, which would have ended Oxford's 800-year-old tradition of academic self-governance, said they were confident that "better designed" changes to governance could be agreed.

Nicholas Bamforth, a member of the University Council, said: "I'm confident measured and sensible proposals can be made that will underline the university's commitment to accountability."