No-confidence vote in university bosses is passed

A union representing academics has passed a vote of no confidence in the senior leadership team at the University of Lincoln.

Dr Owen Clayton, branch chair of the University and College Union, said a ballot on strike action was also being held.

It comes after the university announced in April that nearly 300 jobs were at risk.

A spokesperson for the university said there was a "clear vision and plan" amid the financial pressures facing UK universities.

The union branch represents all 1,500 academic staff at the university, whether they are members or not, said Dr Clayton.

He said the vote of no confidence was in response to "the direction the university is going in and the decisions that have been made".

He added: "They are talking about cutting up to 285 jobs... but they are also talking about changing the nature of the university, saying that certain parts of the university don't matter anymore and we can get rid of them."

He said the cuts would fall across a number of areas, including the Lincoln International Business School, the history department and the Eleanor Glanville Institute – an equality, diversity and inclusion institute that works to inform policies and practices at the university.

Following the ballot, the union called on the university's board of governors to act.

"We want [them] to do something because the staff don't have confidence in their leaders anymore," Dr Clayton said.

He described the relationship with university leadership as "acrimonious" but added that the dispute would end if compulsory redundancies were ruled out.

"If they don't [rule them out], we could be looking at strike action over the summer but also at the start of the next semester," he said.

A university spokesperson said: "As winner of the Queen's Anniversary Prize and one of the few UK universities to hold triple gold status in the national Teaching Excellence Framework, the university has a clear vision and plan to keep delivering for our students and communities amid the financial pressures facing UK universities.

"A recent report from the Office for Students predicts nearly half of universities will return a financial deficit in 2024/25. We expect to achieve a break-even position due to careful management of finances over the past two years.

"The changes we are making now are key to adapt to the new higher education landscape."

The university said the board of governors had "full confidence" in the senior leadership team.

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