The news that Britain’s first “super university” is launching on 7th September this year must be striking fear into many smaller and less viable institutions such as NMITE in Herefordshire. The merger of Greenwich and Kent universities to form the new London and Southeast University Group will have more than 50,000 students making it the third largest higher education institution in the UK.
The new CEO of LASEUG reports that there has been a year of dedicated hard work to create the UK’s first super-university. Interestingly there is a view in the university world that this is a blueprint for others to follow. It is being launched into a world where increasing financial pressures are facing our university sector. The Office for Students warn that 24 English universities are at risk of becoming insolvent and closing their doors in the 12 months to November 2026. It further said that 45% of higher education providers could well be facing deficits by 2025/26. In the face of these challenges King’s College London and Cranfield University have announced plans to merge in August 2027.
In this uncertain world universities have been cutting courses, making job cuts, selling buildings and land as well as considering mergers. The consequences of all this are going to be severe for students and staff but for local economies, communities and regional, national, and international reputations the outcomes will be devastating.
The Prime Minister has been crystal clear that regionalization is going to be the only show in town with regional mayors and significantly devolved powers. As the plans for devolution unfold it would be naive to believe that each region will not be expected to have an integrated higher education sector which will drive the engine of growth, wealth creation, jobs and the quality of life for our people. In parallel with this the Secretary of State for Education is launching a much overdue emphasis on parity of esteem between academic and vocational routes in our 14 to 19 yrs curriculum. So, change is very much in the air.
If we focus on our little rural back water of Herefordshire, we must ask ourselves where does this leave us? Well, it appears that the ruling group on Herefordshire Council is showing little interest or enthusiasm for merging with another local authority to approach the government target of new LA’s of around 500,000 population. This means that it is looking likely that we will be attached in some way to one of the larger mayoralties in a sort of associate status. No prizes for guessing how much priority we would receive in that sort of arrangement.
What does Herefordshire offer in terms of a university? Well, we have NMITE with an intake it would seem equivalent to that of a rural high school, and with a narrow academic offer not related to the needs of a rural economy in an environmentally challenged world. NMITE that appeared as a vanity project, and which did not reach out through local partnerships to those who had worked for over 20 years for a Herefordshire university. In addition, it had used its sharp political elbows to ensure access to the Robert Owen Vocational Academy Blackfriars site where it now remains .
For the record the Robert Owen Vocational Academy had a radical 14-19 curriculum offer that fits the new government 14-19 agenda perfectly. It was externally funded at no cost to local schools or the Local Authority, and it was also within touching distance of setting up a medical and nursing school in partnership with Manchester University with funding secured. When Herefordshire Council was approached by the backer, we were advised that there was no Council interest. The evaluation of the school is on the Robert Owen Society website - it was truly a school ahead of its time located in the wrong County.
Many of us fear that yet again isolated and inward looking rural local authorities like Herefordshire will see more importance in eye catching populist projects than the uplifting of our people. Perhaps now is the time to pay heed to the wise words of Antonio Gramsci : “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born; now is the time of monsters.”
Christopher Morgan
The Robert Owen Society
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