Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

‘Real danger a Welsh university could collapse next year’

25 Jun 2025 5 minute read
Cardiff University. Picture by Stan Zurek. Bangor University. Picture: Denis Egan. Swansea University picture by SwanseaUni. (CC BY-SA 4.0) Aberystwyth University picture by Tanya Dedyukhina (CC BY 3.0).

Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter

There is a real danger a university in Wales could collapse next year, a trade union warned.

Dan Beard, who chairs Unison Cymru’s higher education forum, told the Senedd’s education committee: “Without change, we will see universities collapsing or contracting significantly.”

Giving evidence to an inquiry on higher education, which was prompted by cuts at institutions across Wales, Unison called for urgent intervention from ministers. “Nearly all universities are making cuts to some degree or another,” Mr Beard told the inquiry.

Unison described the Welsh Government’s February announcement of £18.5m for universities as “nowhere near enough”, with Cardiff alone facing a £30m shortfall.

“Without a strategy and funding, Welsh universities will continue to contract, shedding staff and closing unprofitable courses,” the union said in its written evidence.

‘Ambushed’

Unison expressed frustration with the Welsh Government “waiting to see” how UK ministers respond, cautioning: “The gravity of the situation means we can’t afford to wait.”

The trade union said higher education institutions face a dire financial situation, with hundreds of redundancies proposed which could be devastating for Wales. “There is a real danger a university in Wales could collapse next year,” Unison warned.

Gareth Lloyd, Wales official at the University and College Union (UCU), said the union’s members felt ambushed by Cardiff University’s announcement of job cuts.

Pinning a breakdown in trust at the university’s door, he told the committee: “The Cardiff UCU branch responded as they felt appropriate based on their membership.”

Mr Lloyd said: “On every level, discussion has to take place early on – you do not go to the press, make announcements and put people’s jobs at risk.”

‘Dysfunction’

Suggesting the university played games, he said: “What I don’t want to see happen is people coming up with the worst-case scenario and always planning on giving us something better.”

He raised the upsetting impact of the cuts on students as well as UCU members, warning: “If we’re not careful, this could have a real detrimental effect on students who don’t want to go there and that really, really worries me.”

Describing the financial model as unsustainable, the former teacher said: “By cutting courses, you don’t improve your finances… it’s a very short-term thought.”

Mr Lloyd, a school governor, called for better links with primaries and secondaries as well as free transport on open days to Welsh universities, saying: “There are lots of solutions we can talk about but if we’re not in the room, we can’t.”

Jamie Insole, policy officer at the UCU, warned of “dysfunction across the board”, with Cardiff University’s senate unanimously voting down plans “yet they sail through council”.

‘Aghast’

Mr Insole told the committee collegiate governance – which still exists at institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge and Queen’s University Belfast – has been hollowed out.

He said: “We’ve seen a turn to corporate governance largely in response to a smouldering financial crisis and… that has given rise to very questionable decisions.”

Mr Insole highlighted a pattern of principals and vice-chancellors claiming to work in partnership with unions when it is clearly not the case. “Social partnership has a clear definition and, unfortunately, Cardiff isn’t there at the moment,” he said.

“City Campus, Newport” by University of South Wales is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

During the meeting on June 25, Mr Beard added: “Privately, there were lots of senior leaders in other universities aghast about how Cardiff University went about it…. In the other seven institutions across Wales, they said that’s the wrong way to do it.”

Lynne Hackett, lead officer for higher education at Unison Cymru, warned the announcement has created a tremendous amount of anxiety and stress for professional support staff.

‘Untrue’

Witnesses laughed in incredulity when asked about Wendy Larner, the vice-chancellor of Cardiff University, describing staff stress as personal rather than professional.

Mr Lloyd responded: “It’s just not true, is it?… I’m not a doctor so I wouldn’t feel qualified, I wouldn’t be brave enough to tell a generic statement on what causes stress for individuals.”

Ms Hackett added: “I think it’s offensive to say that anyone’s stress is personal because your work is part of your life, isn’t it? I think she should rethink those remarks.”

In its written evidence, UCU Cymru said higher education has suffered systemic failure and neglect which risks bringing institutions to their knees.

The trade union told the committee: “Nowhere else in the Welsh public or not-for-profit sector, do we find a combination of job losses through voluntary severance, pay freezes and the very real risk of compulsory redundancy.”


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

6 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Evan Aled Bayton
Evan Aled Bayton
13 days ago

I suspect that Wales was better off with a collegiate university with several institutions. For a start it would only need one Vice Chancellor which is an expensive person. The loss of several valuable technical and FE institutions into shambolic constantly changing universities of South Wales with the loss of expensive but valuable practical courses for nonsense which can be taught on laptops is also detrimental to the economy. Perhaps there would be more physics teachers.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
13 days ago

Stand fast Aber, we shall need every institution through to the border to man the battlements against the forces of the 55 and M4…

Undecided
Undecided
13 days ago

There seems to be a strong element of trying to have it both ways here. I agree with the comments about the strategic inactivity of the Welsh government; but criticising Cardiff University and others for acting (rightly or wrongly) is seemingly at odds with predictions that universities will collapse without action? The experience at Dundee and the Scottish government bailout rather underlines the point.

Tristan di Sebastiani
Tristan di Sebastiani
13 days ago

I just read that vice chancellor of university of south wales is ‘stepping down’ could this be a clue as to which one ? Lets hope so

Rebecca Hitchings
Rebecca Hitchings
12 days ago

Let’s hope so?! You wouldn’t be saying that if you worked there

Dana Fenton
Dana Fenton
12 days ago

Of course, but doesnt mean its an effective and value for money institution

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.