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Opinion

The threat to higher education in Wales

22 May 2025 4 minute read
Siân Gwenllian at Bangor University

Siân Gwenllian, MS

The crisis facing Bangor University is a wake-up call for us all—and it’s one that cannot be ignored any longer.

Last week, Bangor University announced plans to find over £5 million in savings, putting around 78 jobs at risk.

That’s 78 families in our community facing uncertainty. That’s 78 livelihoods—and countless local businesses who rely on the university—left in limbo.

This is not just a Bangor issue; this is an economic threat to the wider community, and a symptom of a much deeper problem in how higher education is funded in Wales.

Financial sustainability

I raised these concerns directly in the Senedd this week, calling on the Welsh Government to outline what steps it will take to support Bangor University and create long-term financial sustainability for the sector.

In response, the Minister acknowledged the pressure but offered no concrete solutions—no plan, no commitment.

And it’s not just Bangor. From Cardiff to Lampeter, our universities are facing impossible financial pressures after years of chronic underfunding.

In the case of Bangor, these cuts come on top of years of voluntary redundancies. The long-term effect?

Fewer job opportunities, less research and innovation, and fewer chances for young people in our communities to stay, study, and build their futures here in Wales.

Let’s be clear: the blame for this lies at the feet of the Labour Welsh Government.

Smoke and mirrors

For 25 years, they have failed to put our universities on a sustainable footing. Despite repeated warnings, they have slashed the higher education budget for three consecutive years and still haven’t reversed the trend in their latest Budget.

The so-called “transformation fund” turned out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

Universities are not just institutions of learning—they are cornerstones of our economy, drivers of innovation, and crucial players in the promotion and survival of the Welsh language.

They are part of the national project of building a better, fairer, and more prosperous Wales. But they have been left to fend for themselves, expected to do more with less, year after year.

In Arfon, Bangor University is one of the main employers. Its economic impact extends far beyond its campus—from local electricians and tradespeople to cafés, shops, and services already under pressure.

Every job lost at Bangor is a blow to the entire region.

As the local Member of the Senedd, I have already begun speaking with staff, hearing their fears and frustrations.

I will be taking those concerns directly to the Vice-Chancellor and pressing for no compulsory redundancies.

But it shouldn’t fall solely to local representatives or university leaders to pick up the pieces. The Welsh Government must act—and act now.

Plaid Cymru has long called for a national strategy to place our universities on a secure financial footing.

In February, we pushed again for action. The Minister refused. And now we are seeing the real-world consequences.

We cannot continue encouraging students to leave Wales for their studies while our own institutions suffer. We cannot expect universities to train our future workforce while undermining their ability to operate.

And we cannot afford to lose the cultural, social, and economic value they bring to our communities.

Plaid Cymru is committed to reversing this neglect. We recognise the vital role of universities in our economic strategy and our vision for Wales.

In government, we would not stand by while campuses face closure and communities face collapse. The time for empty words is over—the time for action is now.

Siân Gwenllian is the Plaid Cymru MS for Arfon. 


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Richard
Richard
16 days ago

Would she (or anyone else from Plaid) care to go into more detail on what a Plaid government would do, how much it would cost and where the money would come from?

Peter J
Peter J
16 days ago

As with any ‘comment’ or ‘opinion’ piece from Plaid, the question remains: what would you actually do differently? Moaning and complaining without offering a workable solution gets us absolutely nowhere.
This applies to this article; but you are seeing this right across the multiple policy areas from Plaid – health, education, housing, pylons, EU relationships.

Undecided
Undecided
16 days ago
Reply to  Peter J

Absolutely right. The incumbent Minister is accused of offering “no concrete solutions”. Can’t argue with that; but Ms Gwenllian doesn’t either. It seems that the “time for empty words” is not over after all? As you say, there is a pattern here with Plaid. They have to do a lot lot better.

Evan Aled Bayton
Evan Aled Bayton
15 days ago

It’s not just the institutions it’s the quality of the courses and reversing the drift away from practical based courses like chemistry and forestry to courses based on stuff you can do on a lap top anywhere. Also the loss of colleges of further education and accessibility of courses like A levels and GCSEs to mature students. As well as courses like welding, bricklaying, plumbing, fine art etc..

James w
James w
15 days ago

We should first remember what Bangor’s strengths used to be – especially before the dismemberment of the University of Wales by ambitious Vice Chancellors in the mid 2000s. Bangor was home to John Ellis Jones the world’s only Welsh speaking Classical archaeologist who taught a whole range of classical courses to students in North Wales; and to Nancy Edwards one of the world’s leading experts on the early medieval period. This breadth of learning, teaching and scholarship (remember that?) has been cast aside by the techno-managerialist acolytes of The Economy.

Christopher Wood, PhD, JD
Christopher Wood, PhD, JD
15 days ago

Vis-à-vis Bangor’s financial mess    Forgive, but Bangor University can do a LOT to get out of its financial mess. For example, in academic year 2023/2024 Bangor generated just £128k in terms of “Total intellectual property income (including patents, copyright, design, registration and trade marks)” – barely enough to cover the salaries of just two lecturers. Data derived from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for British Universities’ and in particular Table 4d:   https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/providers/business-community/table-4d     Of note: according to Bangor University’s own web site: Bangor comprises of “World Leading Research – Our cutting-edge research informs our teaching and helps advance our collective… Read more »

Peter J
Peter J
15 days ago

First of all 85% of papers greater or equal to 3* in REF isn’t impressive. Most good Universities would be 95%-100%. In REF people only care about 4* IP doesn’t suddenly appear. You need to invest in good facilities and good staff. Most revenue generating IP comes from science or engineering schools. Bangor only has one small engineering department. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sheffield has more engineering lecturers than all engineering lecturers in Wales combined. Our Universities are too small (in terms of staffing) and not elite enough – that would be the issue I would address if I… Read more »

Last edited 15 days ago by Peter J
Christopher Wood, PhD, JD
Christopher Wood, PhD, JD
14 days ago
Reply to  Peter J

Thank you Peter, you are a great person to debate.  & thanks for the update vis-à-vis Sheffield. 
 
But you overlooked the Intellectual Property (“IP”) progress of Queen’s University Belfast which is a third smaller than Cardiff University in terms of turnover and staff numbers and yet Queen’s IP value output is more than Cardiff by a factor of 4; and Queen’s outperforms all of the Welsh universities combined by at least a factor of 3.5
 
Could you advise vis-à-vis Queen’s REF output?
 
Chris

Peter J
Peter J
14 days ago

It’s been great discussing and sharing ideas with you! I would still argue that Queen’s is ahead of Cardiff in IP-generating subjects; largely due to having 1.5 to 2 x more staff in relevant areas. When it comes to IP, overall staff numbers aren’t what matter,as  disciplines like the Social Sciences don’t generate significant commercial revenue. There are certainly lessons Cardiff can learn from Queen’s. It punches above its weight, and QUBIS serves as a great role model for ‘Cardiff’like’ universities. Queen’s also benefits from being part of the Island of Ireland ecosystem, where ROI is especially active in funding… Read more »

Christopher Wood, PhD, JD
Christopher Wood, PhD, JD
13 days ago
Reply to  Peter J

Peter,      You are so right about Queen’s QUBIS.   https://www.qubis.co.uk/   Siân Gwenllian, MS who wrote/submitted the article supra should take note as should all Members of the Senedd.      Incidentally, I emailed every MS (including Siân Gwenllian, MS) about Welsh IP issues and only a couple bothered to respond and interact with me, principally Julie Morgan, MS and I explained to Julie, inter alia, about Queen’s tremendous IP output; I pointed out, via TEAMS, Queen’s focus on monetizing research and patents and Julie promised to raise the IP/patent issue in plenary!  God bless her down to her cotton socks. From… Read more »

Cwm Rhondda
Cwm Rhondda
15 days ago

Universities are a crucial part of the economic growth ecosystem. Our universities are chronically underfunded and in desperate need of a change in government policy. Universities are not a luxury, a nice to have, they are a fundamental component of a successful, wealthy country.

hdavies15
hdavies15
15 days ago
Reply to  Cwm Rhondda

Your answers are found in comments above from C.Wood and Peter J. Unfortunately too many of our academics are residing in some sort of la-la land where their mere existence should justify hefty financial support. Granted some disciplines may find it extremely difficult to go “commercial” but those who are based on the sciences, technology, information systems, economics and social sciences should have the broad shoulders to carry those whose output may be purely academic but adds value to our store of knowledge and understanding.

Cwm Rhondda
Cwm Rhondda
15 days ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Thank you for the critique of my comment.

Undecided
Undecided
14 days ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Correct. It’s becoming rather obvious at Cardiff University and elsewhere that some of those academics shouting loudest are those who have their sinecures threatened and are struggling to justify their added value.

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