UCU responds to new university towns plan

UCU was responding to an announcement by John Denham, secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills, inviting towns and cities to bid for new university campuses and centres of higher education.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Recent research shows that more people are choosing to study closer to home because of the prohibitive cost of studying for a degree. We welcome plans for more universities, but want to know that people will be able to study what they want and where they want. Currently there are parts of the country that cannot offer certain types of degree because of cuts in areas such as science and languages.

'Government policy on learning must be joined up. The prime minister's first speech on education stressed the importance of people having a second, third or fourth chance at education. However, just weeks later the government announced it was removing funding for students who wish to return to study another degree.

'We are unconvinced that higher education should be viewed as merely somewhere for people to pick up training for work. University is about so much more than just churning out graduates. We should be celebrating universities that are prepared to take risks and push the boundaries in their pursuit of knowledge and research. We need to trust people who have spent their lives working in education and not allow business to dictate the short-term direction universities should be taking.'