Exeter Lib Dems send open letter to the University calling out their redundancies

Dear Lisa Roberts,

We are writing to you in our capacity as Exeter City Councillors who represent Duryard & St James where the main University campus is based.

Many of our resident’s work or study at the University and as you would expect we have had many emails from them around the current proposals made by the University.

We want to express our serious concern at the proposed cuts with over 500 academic staff having been told that that their roles are at risk and the impact that this news will have on both the staff and students at the University.

The fact that the cuts seem to disproportionally affects the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences is alarming.

Exeter is known for its vibrant culture, we are one of very few UNESCO Cities of Literature and we have inspired writers throughout history, we have a rich and diverse history from Romans to Saxons, Vikings, Normans and witchcraft, we have wonderful heritage sites – the roman walls, the cathedral, the quay, the castle
and the underground tunnels.

The University is very much embedded as part of that culture, it offers world class research and attracts diverse and fantastically talented staff, and it offers an exciting and eclectic range of courses.

The staff and academics are the heart of the University and have been integral to many of the success stories that the University has been proud to list and Exeter residents benefit greatly from having access to these resources and academics from the University frequently host lectures at the Library, the Phoenix and other cultural venues across the city.

We have contacted Ian Sollum the Liberal Democrat MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire and spokesperson for Universities and Skills to ask that he raises these concerns in Parliament on behalf of our residents.

As your local Cllrs we would welcome an open dialogue with you to better understand the rationale for these cuts and to ensure you hear the views of our residents.

We urge you to listen to staff and students and reconsider your position on this matter.

Liberal Democrat Duryard & St James Cllrs
Kevin Mitchell, Michael Mitchell, Tammy Palmer