MPs to hear from Welsh universities amid funding concerns
Vice-chancellors and top representatives from the country's nine universities are scheduled for a one-off session of the Welsh Affairs Committee, addressing financial difficulties and future sustainability of Welsh universities.
The meeting comes after Cardiff University announced in January, that it would need to cut jobs and scrap departments due to a shortage of funds.
Since then, it has reduced the proposed staff cuts from 400 to 286, after consultations, with the final decision to be announced soon.
The session aims to discuss possible assistance the UK Government could provide, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, to help secure a sustainable future for the sector.
Other matters that are up for discussion include research funding, international student numbers impacted by immigration policies, and non-devolved policies affecting higher education.
Ruth Jones MP, who chairs the Welsh Affairs Committee, stressed the importance of universities in the country.
"Universities are not just important places of learning and employment for so many students and staff, but are at the heart of communities up and down Wales," she said.
"Their future health is crucial.
"The proposals announced by Cardiff University earlier this year brought into sharp focus the challenges the sector is grappling with and our session will be a chance to explore whether the UK Government and others can do more to help them and universities across Wales secure a sustainable future."
The meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 25.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
Welsh tennis ace now mega rich with own yacht business after famous win over Wimbledon star
Welsh tennis ace now mega rich with own yacht business after famous win over Wimbledon star Welsh star Ian Flanagan was once hailed as one of the UK's brightest tennis players, yet after injury curtailed his career at just 22 he has built a business that is on its way to being worth £1billion Ian Flanagan beat Mark Philippoussis in 2004 (Image: Getty ) Ian Flanagan, once a rising star in British tennis, is now at the head a burgeoning business with a projected value of £800million. Originating from Graianrhyd, Wales, his potential as a future Grand Slam contender was cut short by injuries at 22. Flanagan has since founded a Manchester-based yacht accounting software firm. His enterprise, Voly, started in 2016 and is renowned as a financial management solution for superyacht owners, but Flanagan's career trajectory could have diverged significantly. He was a junior tennis prodigy at age 15, with his gold medal victory at the Youth Olympics in 1996 cemented his budding status. Yet it was his upset over Wimbledon 2003 finalist, Mark Philippoussis, at Queen's Club in 2004 that truly put the limelight on Flanagan. The now 43-year-old has recently shared insights about his transition from tennis professional to a high-flying business guru, reports the Express. "I got injured and had to stop, but I'd always been somewhat entrepreneurial," he told Insider recently. "Even as a kid, I loved figuring out ways to make money." Today, Voly stands distinct as a robust brand, and what began as an eight-person team has expanded to a workforce of 130, addressing clients globally. Flanagan's current ambition is directed towards propelling Voly to the prestigious £1billion mark. Article continues below He explained the origins of his enterprise, adding: "We recognised a gap in the market to professionalise yacht management, knowing that while captains are experts at navigation, they aren't CFOs or finance directors." Despite beating ex-Romanian star Victor Hanescu, after the huge victory over Philippoussis, Flanagan was sensationally denied a wildcard into Wimbledon in 2004. "It was unbelievable that I didn't get a Wimbledon wildcard. The LTA [Lawn Tennis Association] need to take a good hard look at themselves,' he told the BBC at the time. Flanagan made a splash early on in his tennis career (Image: Getty ) Nevertheless, Flanagan has come to view his past achievements with a sense of fulfillment, acknowledging that he's "been there, done that." Yet he credits the traits honed on the tennis courts as the driving forces behind his current success. "The most important factor that got me here and helped me build the company is a relentless need to win," he added. "I hate losing. I don't even let my kids win when we play football, tennis, cricket, or even Dobble. The day they beat me, they'll know it's because they did it fair and square. Article continues below "That competitive streak has pushed me through setbacks like failed investments and business ventures which haven't worked out. In professional tennis, you don't win every match. You lose, lose, win, win again, lose again, then win. It's a cycle, and business is similar." And he managed to squeeze in a tennis analogy while expressing his ambition to excel in business. "If you sit back and say, 'That's a great business, I'll rest on my laurels,' you end up losing," he added. "Take Carlos Alcaraz this weekend. If he stops training for six to 12 weeks, he's not going to win Wimbledon. He won't be in shape, he won't be ready."
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
South Korea's Lee nominates new finance, industry ministers
SEOUL, June 29 (Reuters) - South Korea President Lee Jae Myung has nominated a former vice finance minister, Koo Yun-cheol, to be finance minister, his office said on Sunday. Koo is widely known as a policy expert, serving different positions across the government and authoring books on South Korea's innovation and growth, Lee's chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, told a briefing. Among other ministerial positions, Lee named Kim Jung-kwan, president of power plant builder Doosan Enerbility and a veteran bureaucrat in the energy sector, to be industry minister. The former head of South Korea's disease control agency, Jeong Eun-kyeong, was nominated as health minister. She was highly praised for her response to the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming one of the Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2020.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Crawley Labour MP Peter Lamb says welfare bill could be defeated
The Welfare Reform Bill could still be defeated at its second reading despite concessions from the government, a Labour MP has to BBC Politics South East, Peter Lamb, MP for Crawley in West Sussex, said: "I don't think it's inconceivable that we'll get back up to the numbers which potentially result in the bill being killed."Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced new stricter criteria would only apply to new claimants and reversed plans to freeze the health-related component of universal credit, with it rising in line with inflation for existing government said it had listened to the rebels but "what we all agree on is that we have to reform the broken system". Lamb said: "I'm part of a reasonably-sized group of people who are very clear that the conditions are still not acceptable."Responding to the changes the government has promised, he said: "This is ultimately still a cost-cutting measure and that means however they try and co-produce the system for these new people moving forwards, we're going to be taking billions of pounds out of the pockets of people with high levels of vulnerability when there are better alternatives on the table."Asked whether that meant the government could not rest easy, he replied: "They shouldn't rest easy because the proposals are not acceptable." Lamb said he would vote against the bill, regardless of a three-line whip."I will be a Labour MP when I vote down these proposals," he it was put to him that he might not be a Labour MP after the vote, he replied: "I'll be living up to the spirit of the party".He said he believed the government should invest instead in a preventative approach to mental health, which he said takes up 50% of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) he said he had not been listened to."I have made this argument for three months, three and a half months, at every possible level, and you can see the eyes glaze over," he told the BBC. On Friday, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: "Sometimes there is strength in listening. You end up in the right position when you talk to all of those with knowledge and experience."We've more to do to talk to the people over the coming days, but this plan is rooted in Labour values: work for those who can, security for those that can't."I am very hopeful that we'll get this bill through the House." Politics South East is on BBC1 at 10:00 BST on Sunday, then on the iPlayer.
