UCU calls for new management at London Met

Documents released to the press show that HEFCE considered taking the 'nuclear option' of dissolving the university after it wildly misreported the number of students completing courses.
 
LMU has been hit by repayment demands totalling more than £36 million and has responded to the crisis by announcing plans to axe over 550 posts.  The union is furious that the majority of the university's bosses remain in place and has called for all compulsory job losses to be suspended until a full public inquiry in to the current financial mess has been held.
 
Despite serious accusations from MPs of collusion between London Metropolitan University (LMU) and the funding body (HEFCE), the government last month reversed its decision to hold an independent inquiry. On Thursday (2 July) members of UCU and its sister union, Unison, will go on strike in protest against the cuts following earlier industrial action in May.
 
UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: 'These latest revelations cannot be swept under the carpet. There must be an urgent overhaul of governance and management at LMU before any compulsory redundancies take effect. It is a disgrace that hard working and talented staff are being axed for the failings of senior management.  
 
'Those responsible for the current mess must be held accountable, not the staff, and I will be writing to the government asking for a fully independent public inquiry. Ministers cannot put this off any longer. The proposed job cuts would be a disaster for students and the local area.
 
'Any inquiry which does not examine closely the full failings at LMU will be a wasted opportunity to provide a brighter future for its beleaguered staff and students. We must have a transparent review in which all stakeholders are fully involved and we urge LMU to halt its redundancies plans to allow that inquiry to take place.'
 
LMU has over 34,000 students and is the largest university in the capital. It has a proven track record when it comes to widening participation and has been at the forefront of the government's strategy to open up university to more students from 'non-traditional' backgrounds.

London Metropolitan University – a pioneer for widening participation:

• 97.3% of LMU students come from state schools or colleges (31st highest in the UK)
• 42.9% come from lower social economic groups (26th highest in the UK)
• 51.9% of students at LMU are mature students (5th highest in the UK)
• There are 3,565 part-time students at LMU (18th highest in the UK).