Funding chiefs

FUNDING chiefs are seeking greater control of university building projects. Cuts in capital grant and the end of the first phase ofa backlog maintenance programme has sharply reduced the amount of money HEFCE has available for university estates.

The council's estates officers want to spend more time inspecting individual institutions' day-to-day management of buildings and longer-term strategies.

Universities will be asked to provide better information on the condition of their estates and the impact of any changes in legislation. This could involve developing agreed national performance indicators or promoting a "benchmark club" to compare information.