Mandelson: Happy Christmas, You're fired

7.02.57pm GMT Wed 6th Jan 2010

Yet another kick in the teeth for our area. Yesterday, Peter Mandelson cut the budget for Universities by £500m. The University of Hertfordshire is a major local employer. This year they have already had to cut jobs through a voluntary redundancy scheme. The University may now be put in the position of having no alternative to a significant compulsory redundancy programme.

Job losses at the University are likely to have significant consequences across Welwyn Hatfield. Almost 3,000 staff work at the University, many of whom live in the local area. Many shops and local services will be hurt as people have to move away looking for work. It is calculated that for every eight staff at a University, one job is created in local service industries. The potential impact on Welwyn Hatfield and Hertfordshire as a whole might be very significant.

Prospective Lib Dem MP Paul Zukowskyj commented "In the middle of a recession it makes no sense to slash and burn the higher education sector. The students at our Universities are the future business leaders and entrepreneurs that can help us get out of recession. This decision puts their future in jeopardy.

"The impact on Welwyn Hatfield may be huge. Fewer jobs mean the local economy could be plunged further into the mire.

"The impact on school-leavers looking for a place will be even more profound. Last year, around 60,000 applicants didn't get a place at the University they wanted. This year the situation will be even worse. Given the Government's own targets of 50% of school-leavers going on to University, how on Earth do they expect to achieve that if they then cut funding so degrees, departments and, potentially, whole Universities close?

"The Lib Dems are fully committed to actually supporting education, not just producing headline-grabbing sound bites. Peter Mandelson and Gordon Brown should hang their heads in shame for treating our children and their education in this shabby way."

ENDS

Notes for editors: Text of original letter to HEFCE can be found at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/HEFCE/2009/grant1011/letter.htm