Cheers, as university chief agrees further talks over Ambleside campus (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Cheers, as university chief agrees further talks over Ambleside campus

6:20pm Tuesday 8th December 2009 in

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A CHINK of light over the future of Ambleside’s university campus emerged in the final moments of a public meeting which saw more than 300 people turn out to pledge their support to the under-threat facility.

Students and staff from the University of Cumbria’s only site in the south of the county were joined by local residents eager to signal their displeasure at the impending “mothballing” of the site at the end of the academic year, which will spell the end of undergraduate education.

After fielding several questions from the packed audience in St Mary’s Church, Peter McCaffery, vice-chancellor, said he would sit down with meeting organiser Tim Farron in London next week and consider any alternative options to the current proposal.

He said: “I think we are open to all options and I want to talk with you (Mr Farron) and all the MPs and the lords of Cumbria next Monday in parliament and let’s get round the table, and see what’s on offer there, and see what we can do.”

His statement was met with cheers and loud applause.

It followed almost three hours of debate, with questions being fired at Mr McCaffery from people such as Linda Dixon, a former student and part-time campus employee.

She asked: “Who is accountable for these enormous losses? When will we know the details of this apparent financial mismanagement?”

Mr McCaffery, who took up his role in June, said: “Part of the reason is we weren’t really aware of the scale of the financial difficulties.”

He added: “We have the highest staffing costs of any university in England - it runs at 64 per cent of our budget. The sector norm is 54 per cent.”

Mr McCaffery said he was desperately trying to find ways to make up the current £20 million debt, and was in talks with the Chinese government to bring some of its country’s 80,000 UK-based students to Cumbria, which could bring in extra revenue.

Ben Pearce, a teaching student, said: “We are British students - what about us? I’m all for immigration, but at the moment we are worried about us.”

The impact on the wider community was highlighted by GP Paul Davies, who said his practice would lose £35,000 a year in capita funding if undergraduate provision was removed.

David Addenbrook, questioned why two jobs - one for a finance and resources director, and another for an estates and operations director - had been advertised in The Times, with an “attractive salary package”, since the announcement of the university’s decision.

Mr McCaffery said these roles were needed in order to steer the university through its crisis.