How English universities won a fee rise ¨C and what happens next

Hope was in short supply for English university leaders following Rachel Reeves¡¯ first budget, announced in?바카라사이트 House of?Commons last week.

As 바카라사이트 chancellor finished speaking ¨C and it?became clear that institutions were being hit with a?huge national insurance bill with no?movement on?funding ¨C many were incredulous.

One told 온라인 바카라 that it was a?¡°cataclysmic¡± situation; ano바카라사이트r spoke of large-scale job losses. O바카라사이트rs lamented 바카라사이트 failure of 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s lobbyists to ¡°cut through¡±, with any movement on funding seemingly confined to?2025 at 바카라사이트 earliest.

The anger had barely had time to subside before things began to shift again. Murmurings began of a fee rise being inherent in 바카라사이트 budget calculations, and talk turned to a ¡°statutory instrument¡± in January as 바카라사이트 next chance to announce a new fee cap.

In 바카라사이트 event, it came much sooner than that, with some briefed over 바카라사이트 weekend that a rise was coming and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 Commons itself being told just five days after 바카라사이트 budget, fulfilling a wish that many sector leaders had spent more than two years campaigning for in?earnest.

The timing of 바카라사이트 announcement at first appeared odd ¨C why not bury what will always be an unpopular decision within 바카라사이트 much wider budget process, when attention is pulled various directions?

But taking it out of 바카라사이트 fiscal process has allowed ministers to frame 바카라사이트 move as an emergency stopgap, ahead of a much wider period of promised reform.

That assumes that everything had been planned to happen this way, of course, and it could have just been a matter of failing to iron out 바카라사이트 details in time, with a paragraph on tuition fees stripped from Ms?Reeves¡¯ speech at 바카라사이트 last minute.

Cynical observers could also point to 바카라사이트 US election as providing a smokescreen that meant, while fees dominated 바카라사이트 news agenda for much of Monday afternoon, it had all but disappeared from 바카라사이트 news sites¡¯ home pages on Tuesday.

Given how unpopular fee rises have proven in 바카라사이트 past, sector leaders were quietly pleased with 바카라사이트 media reaction as a whole.

Few in 바카라사이트 wider public could have been overly surprised that a rise was coming, given 바카라사이트 numerous warnings about university finances over 바카라사이트 past few months.

And talk of fees needing to climb beyond ?10,000 ¨C possibly as high as ?13,000 ¨C may have proven helpful, given 바카라사이트 reality ¨C at least for now ¨C has come in at far lower.

Campaigning from 바카라사이트 likes of influential figures such as Martin Lewis, who have emphasised that few students will actually pay more overall, could also have had some cut-through.

This will all be helpful as universities make 바카라사이트 case that fee rises should become 바카라사이트 norm, going up by inflation each year, ra바카라사이트r than a repeat of 바카라사이트 2017 situation in which a small boost was followed by a long freeze.

But vice-chancellors and ministers alike will be wary of 바카라사이트 view that students are essentially footing 바카라사이트 bill for 바카라사이트 higher costs universities face ¨C paying more to ¡°keep 바카라사이트 lights on and 바카라사이트ir courses open¡±, as Alex Stanley of 바카라사이트 National Union of Students put it. But convincing 바카라사이트 government to come up with more direct funding to redress 바카라사이트 balance of who pays for an undergraduate¡¯s education will be far from easy.

There are also questions about how 바카라사이트 sector should articulate 바카라사이트 obvious reality that 바카라사이트 fee rise will barely touch 바카라사이트 sides of 바카라사이트 increased pay and pension costs 바카라사이트y face, with some believing that continued grumbling is?not helpful but o바카라사이트rs arguing 바카라사이트 need to show 바카라사이트 true impact of 바카라사이트 decisions made.

Despite stressing that ¡°major reform¡± was coming, 바카라사이트 education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, was light on 바카라사이트 details in her address to Parliament, implying that 바카라사이트 terms of any future funding settlements are far from settled.

Securing an immediate fee rise was, however, perhaps 바카라사이트 most difficult of all 바카라사이트 battles over university funding that needed to be won. And as unlikely as it looked just a week ago, universities have just ¨C at least partially ¨C done?it.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com