The university, which has become the latest to propose job loses, informed a dozen members of staff last month that their contracts might not be continued into the next academic year, the AJ understands. Those individuals have rolling associate lecturer contracts and teach Part 1 across the first, second and third years.
An anonymous source told the AJ that associate lecturers were told job cuts were likely during a meeting between design tutors and London Met. A consultation period ended on 6 June, with an outcome due this week.
London Met, which acknowledged that 12 roles were at risk when approached by the AJ, said in a statement that it ‘remain[s] fully committed to the delivery of high-quality architecture education’ and ‘like many universities, we’re making practical changes in response to shifting demand across some subject areas.’
Anne Markey, the dean of the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Met, added: ‘These changes form part of a broader reorganisation to ensure our courses remain aligned with student expectations.
‘Our teaching capacity for undergraduate architecture in 2025/26 and beyond will be met through a mix of permanent academic staff and sessional support from practitioners, as is standard across the sector. Studio-based learning will remain a key part of the course experience.’
According to accounts for the year ending 2024, London Met spent 6.9 per cent more on staff costs between April 2023 and April 2024. The institution spent £71.4 million overall, including on restructuring. That compares with £66.7 million in 2023.
Meanwhile, other operating costs increased by 14.4 per cent, rising to £76 million at the end of last year. London Met’s accounts for 2023/24 show an operating surplus of £1.5 million.
The university is currently undergoing internal refurbishment work at its Aldgate campus, which hosts the School of Art, Architecture and Design. This involves demolition of teaching studios and the creation of a larger combined teaching space at Calcutta House on the Aldgate campus. That follows the scrapping of plans in 2019 to move away from London’s East End to Holloway Road, the university’s main campus.
London Met said of the disruption: ‘The University is currently undertaking work to improve and consolidate its teaching spaces, including refurbishment and reconfiguration of our Aldgate campus to provide new workshops and a dedicated space for our Architecture students. This work is unrelated to staffing decisions as part of our broader Estates Strategy to deliver an improved learning experience for our students.’
Elsewhere, staff at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) were informed last month that 75 full-time equivalent jobs are at risk across the institution, which blamed ‘significant financial pressures’ for the planned redundancies.
The AJ was told that three jobs connected to AUB’s undergraduate and masters architecture courses are at risk in this round of cuts. The roles are currently under consultation.
Vice-chancellor and chief executive officer at AUB, Lisa Mann, said in a statement shared with the AJ: ‘We deeply regret having to take this step. Every effort has been made to avoid potential compulsory redundancies and we recognise the impact this will have on valued colleagues.
‘However, the scale of the financial challenges we face – particularly in the context of reduced student numbers – means that we must take further action now to protect the long-term sustainability of the university.’
There are also fears that roles at Plymouth University’s architecture school are at risk. The institution is facing a £22 million budget shortfall, and 200 jobs are expected to go across all faculties.
According to documents seen by the BBC, the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business, which includes the School of Art, Design and Architecture, has been asked to make £4.6 million in savings.
A petition launched by students at Plymouth opposing ‘cuts to Arts, Design and Architecture courses’, has gathered nearly 2,000 signatures. The petitioners are fighting against what it called ‘significant reductions’ in arts and design courses and staffing.
It read: ‘We urge the University of Plymouth to halt the proposed redundancies and course closures, engage in transparent consultation with students and staff and publish the financial rationale behind these decisions and explore fairer, alternative solutions that do not disproportionately target the arts.’
A university spokesperson said: ‘Along with the majority of universities in the UK, Plymouth has to make savings and take difficult decisions, but we are doing everything we can to look after our staff and avoid compulsory redundancies, while protecting the quality of our student experience, which is our number one priority.
‘Any changes to our provision will be aimed at making the University of Plymouth more resilient and better able to meet the demands of students, now and into the future.’
The university added that there were no programme closures planned within architecture.
Last month, the AJ revealed that Greenwich University had informed staff of plans to make 319 redundancies, including all casual staff, known as hourly-paid lecturers (HPLs), within the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Greenwich Business School.
The School of Design, which includes the architecture department and is based at a Heneghan Peng-designed building in Greenwich town centre, is one of the worst-hit departments. Within architecture, the AJ understands 50 of the 70 teaching staff could be made redundant, with 20 then hired back.
According to a consultation document seen by the AJ, the faculty’s rationale is to claw back staffing costs,. The university has forecast it will spend £1.7 million on HLPs in 2024/2025. It says it needs to reduce staff costs by 4 per cent (saving around £800,000) to operate within budget.
A spokesperson for Greenwich University told the AJ: ‘Like many universities across the UK, the University of Greenwich is facing significant financial challenges outside our control. These challenges affect the amount of cash we hold, which is what we use to pay our staff and our bills.
‘We are therefore proposing organisational changes that will ensure the long-term sustainability of our university and protect jobs further down the line. We are currently consulting on these changes. No final decisions have been taken.’
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