Damning open letter slams University of Northampton over planned £13 million in budget cuts, job losses, and millions of pounds in potential economic damage
A union has criticised UON’s planned £13 million budget cuts, warning of job losses and millions of pounds in economic harm.
University of Northampton (UON) recently projected a £19.3 million deficit if no action was taken. In response, it announced two rounds of voluntary redundancies for staff, with discussions starting this month, and could be looking at reducing its curriculum due to cost pressures.
The proposed restructuring, called RISE (Resilience & Institutional Sustainability Exercise), aims to save nearly £13 million by 2029.
However, a union is concerned about the long-term consequences of these changes that could significantly impact staff, students, and the town.
In an open letter to all Northamptonshire MPs, University of Northampton University and College Union Branch and UNISON West Northamptonshire Local Government Branch said: “These proposals, labelled RISE, were drawn up based on KPMG recommendations and will lead to £12,973,894 in savings by 2029, but UON would still be operating a deficit of £2,613,106. RISE affects all areas of UON, with limited consideration of the long-term damage that reducing learning provision and the University portfolio will have on Northamptonshire.
“The ‘requirement’ for such cuts has been presented as resulting from lower recruitment of international and UK students. Other universities face similar challenges, worsened by VISA requirement changes deterring international applicants. However, UON’s situation is exacerbated by the terms of the repayment plan agreed with the Treasury-owned Public Works Loan Board for the Waterside Campus, which opened in 2018. The financial benefits of Waterside have not yet been maximised.
“If RISE goes ahead, remaining staff will shoulder heavier workloads, increasing their susceptibility to physical and wellbeing issues. This may hinder the University’s ability to attract and retain talent. Students will face fewer subjects, larger classes, and reduced contact time with staff. Substantial changes to degree programs after students have enrolled— as happened at UON in 2023/4 and 2024/5 — should not be acceptable, especially when students are borrowing to cover fees.
“Shrinking UON will also limit its social and economic contributions to Northamptonshire. In 2021-22, UK universities generated between £33.9m and £41.6m in additional revenue and supported 77,500 jobs through knowledge exchange programmes. At UON, 46% of students are the first in their families to attend university, with those graduating predicted to contribute £49,000 more to the Treasury over their working lives. Overseas students alone made net contributions of £46.2m to Northampton North, £66.0m to Northampton South, and £43.0m to South Northamptonshire.
“The timing of the redundancy consultation will cause significant anxiety over the holiday period, preventing staff from recuperating. Staff made redundant may have difficulty finding alternative employment in 2025 as the labour market remains competitive, potentially increasing economic inactivity in Northamptonshire.
“The purpose of this letter is to ask you to:
- Assist UON leadership in negotiating a new repayment plan for Waterside with the Treasury-owned Public Works Loan Board.
- Lobby the government to remove restrictions on international student visas.
- Work with stakeholders across the county to maximise UON’s financial capabilities.
- Push for renewed debate in Parliament on how higher education should be funded in England.
“If the UK higher education sector contracts in the immediate future, it will be the result of a political choice. For many students and staff, this will be their first political event that significantly impacts their lives, something they are likely to remember when voting in the future.”
Responding, a University of Northampton spokesperson said: “Universities, unions, and students are united in the view that higher education needs sustainable support if we are to continue to spearhead economic growth and opportunity that the country so badly needs.”