University of East Anglia says it has 'turned corner' as jobs plan revealed to meet £30m cuts target

Leaders at a crisis-hit university insist they have "turned a corner", as they confirmed no compulsory redundancies would be needed to meet a £30m cuts target this year.

The University of East Anglia in Norwich needs to save the cash in 2023-24 after a collapse in the number of foreign students applying to study there, as well as inflationary costs.

It said it has made the savings through a round of voluntary redundancies, voluntary severance - where staff apply to leave - and the removal of vacant posts.

The university said it would also be able to save a further £15m over the next three years through management of general income and expenditure.

It had previously announced plans to cut 113 jobs, made up of 77 staff in professional services, and 36 in the academic faculties.

Vice-Chancellor Prof David Maguire said: “UEA has turned a corner. Our student recruitment this year has been successful and we’ve been delighted to welcome our new and returning students to campus in recent weeks. 

“Work to develop the university’s new vision and strategy is well under way and we’re very positive about the future.”

The UEA has also brought forward a previously-deferred pay increase for staff, which will begin being paid in December rather than January.

Lower-paid staff have already received the increase and the remainder of staff will receive a rise of £1,000 or 2%, whichever is greater, by the end of the year.

The university will also match the existing rate for the Real Living Wage for eligible staff from January to July 2024, after it withdrew from the scheme in March 2023.

Continuation beyond that will be decided once the new rate is announced later this month, said the UEA.

The university's funding crisis led to the departure of its former vice chancellor, Prof David Richardson, who stepped down in February, to be replaced in May by Prof Maguire.

He was greeted by angry protests on campus on his first day in the job, and staff told ITV News Anglia they felt "frustrated... angry and scared" at the lack of clarity over their futures.

The university was also dealt another blow in September when it discovered weak concrete in its famous ziggurats, forcing it to find new accommodation for 750 students who had been due to move in just days later.

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