樱花动漫

The UK higher education sector is in crisis

We call for immediate action to halt the devastating cuts sweeping across our universities.

The current crisis is unsustainable, and it is vital that the government intervenes now to protect our educational institutions:

• One in every two universities is cutting staff jobs and student courses. This alarming trend is not just numbers; it represents the loss of dedicated educators and vital programmes that serve our communities.
• The funding model is failing, destabilising staff and students. The ongoing financial struggles for universities puts immense pressure on both employees and learners, leading to uncertainty and a decline in educational quality.
• The government must intervene to stop this crisis. Urgent action is required to secure commitments from university leaders to halt job cuts, redundancies, and course closures, and to improve pay and working conditions for staff.

Staff and students should not suffer the consequences for the failures of university management and previous government policies.

We demand a robust funding package that addresses these issues and fosters a more sustainable future for higher education.

樱花动漫's Stop the Cuts campaign

• 樱花动漫 will put pressure on the UK government to change their current position and invest and intervene to alleviate the crisis in higher education
• 樱花动漫 will demonstrate the current dire conditions in UK universities and the consequences of government inaction
• 樱花动漫 will continue to support all branches and members in our fight to protect jobs.

Key dates

• Monday 3 March: 'Stop the Cuts' campaign official launch and opening of our petition
• Tuesday 18 March: 樱花动漫 rally and parliamentary lobby
• Wednesday 2 April: Westminster Hall debate
• Tuesday 8 April: Education Committee session
• Saturday 10 May: national, cross-sector demonstration in Central London
• Wednesday 11 June: demonstration in Newcastle

Latest developments

• Education Committee inquiry into university finances
• Stop the Cuts petition
• Stop the Cuts Newcastle demonstration, June 2025
• Protect Education NOW national rally, May 2025
• Education Committee letter, May 2025
• Education Committee session, April 2025
• Westminster Hall debate, April 2025
• Stop the Cuts rally and parliamentary lobby, March 2025
• Stop the Cuts campaign briefing, February 2025
• The Minister of State for Skills answers your questions, January 2025
• Resources
• Read 樱花动漫's publications on higher education
• Extend your solidarity to staff under attack

Stop the Cuts petition

In January 2025, .

We encourage all 樱花动漫 members and supporters in all sectors to , and stand against cuts and advocate for proper funding for higher education!

Education Committee inquiry into university finances

On 12 June 2025, the UK parliament's into the financial viability of universities as they face the challenges of rising costs and falling numbers of international students after years of tuition fee freezes.

Responding to the announcement, 樱花动漫 general secretary Jo Grady said: 'With vice-chancellors axing courses, limiting student provision and slashing thousands of jobs, universities are in crisis and this inquiry couldn't come soon enough [...] Our submission will set out what's gone wrong and how the system can be fixed'. Click here for the full statement.

樱花动漫 has been relentlessly lobbying parliamentarians for urgent government intervention and this new inquiry is one of the results of our sustained campaigning efforts. The union's work will continue.

Stop the Cuts Newcastle demonstration, June 2025

Newcastle University is attempting to meet targets to achieve millions of pounds worth in savings from job cuts which is devastating for 樱花动漫 members, students and the local community. Although numerous jobs have already been axed through voluntary severance, the fight to protect jobs will not stop.

Newcastle University 樱花动漫 branch has scheduled a further 30 days of strikes, beginning on Friday 6 June, which follows on from strike action taken in March.

On Wednesday 11 June 2025, all roads led to a Stop The Cuts demonstration which began with speeches outside of the , and was followed by a march to , where further speeches and rally cries were heard. Speakers from across the local community and the trade union movement attended including students and representatives from other education unions.

A big thank you to all 樱花动漫 members and branches from across the UK who came to the demonstration, to help Newcastle University 樱花动漫 branch fight back against damaging job cuts.

We encourage all 樱花动漫 members to continue to sign the .

Protect Education NOW national rally, May 2025

On Saturday 10 May 2025, 樱花动漫 called a rally in central London for 樱花动漫 members and supporters to come together. Higher education, further education, prison education, adult and community education--united.

Members and branches from across the country marched to the Houses of Parliament. Guest speakers included John McDonnell MP, Mariela Kohon (TUC), Amira Campbell (NUS) and Andrea Bradley (EIS); there were also plenty of members from our sister education unions, students, supporters and activists.

Thank you to everyone who came to the rally. You can click here for more photos and .

Education Committee letter, May 2025

The union's message on Stop the Cuts is getting through to the UK government. After the  on 8 April 2025 (to which 樱花动漫 contributed), the  on 7 May 2025 to the Secretary of State for Education demanding support of our universities in both the short and long term. . 

Education Committee session, April 2025

On Tuesday 8 April, 樱花动漫 general secretary Jo Grady gave oral evidence at the Education Committee's session 'Higher education and funding', chaired by , Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood. 

You can  on YouTube, watch the  on parliamentlive.tv, or .

Westminster Hall debate, April 2025

A Westminster Hall debate on the  took place on Wednesday 2 April, 14:30 to 16:00.

We are very grateful to , for leading this debate. In total, twenty MPs across the political spectrum spoke at the debate about institutions in their constituencies, including Bournemouth, Brunel, Dundee, Essex, Nottingham and Nottingham Trent, York and York St John, UEA and many others.

It is vital that we build upon support from MPs and continue to make our voices and our demand for urgent intervention to address the crisis in higher education heard loud and clear.

We encourage everyone to  (from 14:30:00 onwards) or .

Stop the Cuts rally and parliamentary lobby, March 2025

Congratulations to everyone that joined our lobby of Parliament on Tuesday 18 March 2025. Higher education members across the UK came to press MPs to support our campaigns. Politicians were matched with constituents in a packed committee room where they also heard briefings from 樱花动漫 general secretary Jo Grady and 樱花动漫 officers. This was a fantastic event aimed at boosting political awareness of the unfolding crisis in higher education and the need for urgent government intervention. More materials from the rally and the parliamentary lobby will be made available here very soon.

Stop the Cuts campaign briefing, February 2025

You can watch a recording of the Stop the Cuts campaigning briefing from Wednesday 19 February, featuring Maria Chondrogianni (樱花动漫 president elect and chair of the higher education committee) and Yetunde Akintewe (樱花动漫 head of communication and campaigns).

The Minister of State for Skills answers your questions, January 2025

In January 2025 樱花动漫 general secretary Jo Grady met with the Minister of State for Skills, Baroness Smith of Malvern. This was an opportunity to put our concerns about the state of UK universities, and what the Labour government should urgently do about the sector, directly to the minister. Watch the full interview below.

Resources

Posters, placards and flyers

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Campaign logos

Social media graphics

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Read 樱花动漫's publications on higher education

樱花动漫 has recently published a series of on higher education:

• 'The state of Britain's universities: a crisis unfolding in plain sight' by Howard Stevenson (Professor Emeritus, University of Nottingham), a 樱花动漫 booklet examining the unfolding crisis in UK higher education and what the Labour government should do about it
• 'Support for research staff', a 樱花动漫 report based on freedom of information (FOI) requests to 103 UK higher education institutions and which lays bare the extent of shocking 'gig-economy' style employment practices at some of the most prestigious universities in the country 
• 'Academic freedom in the digital university' by Chavan Kissoon and Terence Karran (University of Lincoln): more than eight in 10 (82%) UK academics say universities' excessive use of digital technologies has harmed academic freedom
• 'Assessing the costs of removing undergraduate tuition fees across the UK' by London Economics: a levy of around 1% on employer national insurance contributions for graduates could support the scrapping of tuition fees at no cost to the Exchequer
• 'Non-visibly disabled PGR experiences of studies and careers' by Tanya Osborne (University of Gothenburg), Phoenix Andrews (independent researcher) and Zara Bain (University of Bristol): less than four in ten (36%) postgraduate researchers (PGRs) with non-visible disabilities are happy with the support they receive from their university.

Extend your solidarity to staff under attack

樱花动漫 is determined to resist the waves of job cuts and attacks on working conditions taking place across UK universities. You can click here for a list of current industrial disputes and find out how you can support them and extend your solidarity. The list is updated continually by 樱花动漫 staff so please check back regularly.