Vice-Chancellor's 'morally indefensible' £45k raise has brought University of Bath 'into disrepute' - MP Wera Hobhouse

19 July 2017

The Liberal Democrat said the figures show 'the system for funding further education is broken'...

Following comments in the House of Lords, Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has agreed that something has gone wrong with Bath University’s remuneration policy: ‘A pay rise of 11% taking the Vice Chancellor’s salary to £451,000 is morally indefensible, and since then there’s been another pay rise that the University won’t divulge. This is the wrong example to set.’

Labour peer, Lord Adonis, described Bath University’s Dame Glynis Breakwell as setting an example of ‘greed’, alongside the 67 other members of staff paid over £100,000.

Wera went on to say: ‘This isn’t just the fault of the Vice Chancellor, the Tories want educational establishments to be run like businesses, and like any business seemingly awash with cash, senior managers will always reward themselves with huge salaries.

What these figures show is that the system for funding further education is broken. The money is going into the wrong pockets. At a time when most staff in universities are enduring pay restraint, students are incurring huge debts and, here in Bath, campus students are face huge rent hikes, I would expect the University to show better leadership.

To have received such a drubbing in the House of Lords, and with all the negative press coverage, the University has brought itself into disrepute, which reflects badly on our whole city.’