UK Universities Told the Time Has Come to Forage. (January 26, 2010)

David Lammy, UK Minister of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills was yesterday reported by The Guardian saying Britain's universities would have to find new sources of money from industry and abroad to see them through a "good few years" before public funding would rise following this year's £915m cut in the higher education budget.

However, several universities have already made it public that they plan to cut places. The Sunday Times reported cuts to the number of degree places at the London School of Economics, and Essex and Edinburgh Universities are in the offing while Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, King's College London, Imperial College London and Warwick will freeze numbers. Edinburgh University which is in fact funded by the Scottish parliament, will reduce its 2010 intake by 1,300 places, just over 30% of the total, and Leeds University is dealing with the funding cut, by raising their A-level requirements for some courses.

An independent review of student funding by Lord Browne -- John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley -- who was appointed in November last year to chair a government committee into university tuition fees, is due to report after the general election.

So far both Labour and the Tories have refused to state their position on raising the £3,250 a year fee cap. More than one university is hoping that they will be able to alleviate some of their funding shortfall through increasing student fees.

In Mr Lammy's view such a desire is misplaced: "A … much better approach … is for universities to try to diversify their sources of income. To find ways of relying less on the taxpayer as a hedge against any future tightening of the public purse-strings." It appears that David Lammy looks upon the public funding of higher education more as a burden rather than an investment in the nation's commonweal.

Looking to the Tory opposition The Guardian notes: "Last night, David Willetts, the shadow universities secretary, said: "It is going to be tough for universities and given the fiscal crisis I can't promise that we can exempt them from these pressures but …we have identified a specific extra source of cash to provide 10,000 more places in 2010. Young people are the biggest single victims of this recession; that's why we would have more university places and apprenticeships. It's absurd to be penalising universities while setting expansion targets."

All in all things are looking pretty bleak for Britain's universities for much of the coming decade.