No confidence vote in University of Sheffield leadership passes

The University of Sheffield branch of the University and Colleges Union (UCU) announced last night that a no confidence vote in the university’s vice-chancellor and executive board had passed.

The vote took place at a meeting on Thursday. More than 1000 staff members attended, and 944 took part in the vote.

Sheffield UCU announced that of that number, 93 per cent said they had no confidence in the university’s leadership. That figure means that 880 staff members voted in favour of the no confidence motion – more than ten per cent of all staff at the University of Sheffield.

In their announcement made on X, Sheffield UCU outlined several grievances: a university plan to cut £23m in staff costs, a voluntary severance scheme launching later this month and the closure of the university’s archaeology department.

They also noted that the University of Sheffield fell out of the top 100 of the QS World University Rankings for the first time earlier this summer.

The University of Sheffield has said that staff cost cuts, and the voluntary severance scheme are needed to address financial shortfalls and that non-staff cuts, such as reviews in capital and discretionary spending have been prioritised.

Sheffield UCU said: “We expect University management to take responsibility for the decisions that have brought the university to this point, and to search for every option before resorting to cutting staff jobs.

“This vote of ‘no confidence’ reflects deep frustration & anger from staff at mismanagement. Staff & students must be prioritised, not bear the cost of short sighted decision making by university leadership. We will not stand for staff cuts; this vote is only the beginning.”

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A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield told The Tab: “The University sector is facing unprecedented financial difficulties and we are committed to navigating these challenges responsibly and transparently.

“As part of a range of measures to address a financial shortfall, we have introduced a voluntary severance scheme in selected areas of the university.

“The sector-wide challenges mean we must remain flexible and agile to protect our excellent research and teaching, and we will be taking considered decisions to ensure the institution’s long-term sustainability and success.

“We recognise this is a difficult time for colleagues and are firmly committed to supporting our staff and working constructively with our trade unions throughout this period, whilst maintaining the high standards of academic excellence for which Sheffield is renowned.”