Warrington & Vale Royal College set to sack 19 staff

Jobs set to go include every IT teacher as well English and math support workers. The college claims it needs to make the cuts to reduce staff costs even though student numbers are forecasted to increase by 10% next year. In meetings with staff and UCU, a senior manager described the support roles as being a "luxury" the college could no longer afford and admitted their removal was a "calculated risk" in respect of student outcomes.

The cuts also target two union reps but do not look at the college's bloated management structure, which includes 14 directors.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'These cuts risk severely impacting student provision and must be halted. Even if savings are necessary the college has not fully considered alternative options including reducing the number of directors or offering voluntary redundancy.

'Instead, the college has decided to sack 19 dedicated staff who provide essential support to students in key subjects. We are calling on the college principal to immediately reinstate these vital posts and to engage with UCU on how we can work together to consider if savings are indeed needed.'