Governors at London Met announce their resignation

The following message was sent today from the Coordinating Committee of UCU at London Metropolitan University to all members:

The Board of Governors finally announced resignations at their meeting


yesterday. The Chair of the Governors has resigned with effect by end of

March. The other lay governors specifically associated with the Audit

Sub-Committee (effectively we understand virtually all the lay governors)

will resign in the summer. We assume an entirely new Audit Committee will

be in place by April 2010.



UCU understands that the formal announcement will be made today in the

form of an agreed joint communication from the Chief Executive of HEFCE

and the Chair of the Governors. We understand that the announcement will

include a statement that the new Vice Chancellor Professor Gillies will be

taking forward the action against members of the Executive group who were

in post during the period covered by the Melville/Deloitte Report and this

could include disciplinary action with the possibility of individual

suspension whilst his inquiries are proceeding.



Of course, as you will know from the Melville Report it was Sir David's

view that all members of the Executive group in post at the time should

take 'collective responsibility' for the failings that he identifies. UCU

shares this view.



Whilst UCU welcomes the announcements of the impending resignations of the

Board of Governors (clearly members will understand that this is a

considerable victory for the unions and, more importantly, for the

university), we are unable to commend the agreed order of their departure.

In current circumstances a delayed and staggered resignation is utterly

inappropriate.



We include below the statement from our Staff Governor Dr Kay Dudman that

was read out at the meeting itself.



"It is clear that London Metropolitan University's future and safety is at

stake. HEFCE has made apparent that there is a clear and immediate risk

that funding will be withdrawn unless they are convinced that their

financial support of the university with public funds is safeguarded to

their satisfaction. It is noted that HEFCE itself is not without blame,

as cited in the Melville report, in particular for failing to make a

written record of meetings.



London Metropolitan University cannot survive without public funds. The

honourable, and indeed the only, course of action is for the members of

the Board of Governors who were serving during the period in question to

resign, and that the Executive, as highlighted in the Melville report,

should follow suit. Their sacrifice will be for the good of the

institution as whole, and allow London Metropolitan University the

opportunity to flourish once again under the leadership of a new Vice

Chancellor, a new Board of Governors, and a new Executive.



I know that the driving force behind those who offer their services to the

Board of Governors is the ultimate welfare of the institution, and I am

therefore certain that the necessary steps will be taken in order to

ensure the University's survival. Resignation is the price that has been

demanded, and the price that must be paid. Resignation is now a

necessity."



UCU entirely agrees with this. An immediate resignation was the only

acceptable action that the governors and the executive (or at least the

named members of the executive) could have taken yesterday. The Board of

Governors and the named members of the Executive were required to

‘consider their position’ in the letter from Sir Alan Langlands 20th

November following HEFCE’s receipt and acceptance of the Melville/Deloitte

Report. It is clear that the Governors were initially very reluctant to

comply with this and have only done so as a result of HEFCE threatening

immediate withdrawal of further funding to the university. It is also

clear that HEFCE were specific in requiring the departure of Peter Anwyl

as Chair and any members of the Governors who had served on the Audit

Committee. This, we understand, included Sir Michael Snyder.



In office the Board have not at any point acted in the wider interests of

the university. The slow drawn out manner of their departure is

transparently a face saving exercise and is entirely consistent with their

previous actions and inactions that have been governed by narrow personal

self interest and self-esteem and not in any way and in any time the wider

good of London Met.



The next year is likely to be critical for the university. In previous

emails we referred to the announced short fall of £600 million from the HE

sector as a result of a public funding cuts. We also pointed up the

failure of London Met to secure any specific funding from HEFCE’s

Strategic Development Fund (potentially £10 million) despite the Interim

Vice Chancellor announcing this as one of his specific ambitions last

summer. How can the retention of a discredited Board of Governors until

the spring and summer be anything but counterproductive to the future of

the university? How can we hope to secure any new funding until they go?

How also their retention do anything but handicap Professor Gillies in any

action he finds it necessary to take against the Executive? What possible

benefit can be served to the university by them remaining in office?



Clearly London Met needs new governors, new management and a new start

now. This is an imperative not an impatient demand. UCU and UNISON

officers will be meeting Professor Gillies on Friday morning. We will

obviously be relaying this message to him and we will be putting to him

our views regarding new structures of governance and management at the

university. Specifically we will be asking him to announce immediately a

suspension of any further job losses that have already been announced for

July 2010 under the Cost Improvement Plan.



We include below the link to the video of the chaotic scenes outside

Moorgate at yesterday’s meetings. Speakers at the rally included Alaisdair

Hunter President of UCU, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Paul Mackney, ex-General

Secretary of UCU and representatives from Unison and from national and

local NUS. As you will see from the video, students at London Met took

action themselves and were right to do so, but it should not have taken

all this to get rid of the governors.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AymfQib2Yg


A further statement will be made later this week.



Mark Campbell UCU Chair

Cliff Snaith UCU Secretary

Debbie Rees UCU Membership Secretary

Yaz Djebbour UCU North Chair

Peter Cambridge UCU H & S Officer

David Hardman UCU City Chair

Jane Holgate UCU City Secretary