Runnymede and Weybridge

Your message*Dear Ben Spencer

I am writing as your constituent and someone who works in higher education to ask for your help in ensuring the government protect post-16 education and enact much-needed safety measures for staff and students in the face of the current Covid-19 crisis.

Our sector has always been a critical part of the social and economic fabric of the UK and will be crucial to our country's recovery from the current crisis.  Added to this is an immediate need for institutions (and the government) to ensure that online university teaching becomes the norm wherever possible.

The financial uncertainly and safety concerns about on site working and in-person teaching continue to cause uncertainty for staff and students and without urgent action from the government we risk losing vital educational capacity just when it will be needed most. The country cannot afford to push tens of thousands staff into unemployment or ill health at a time when we will need education to be a key driver of recovery.

My union, the University and College Union, has repeatedly called on government to take action to underwrite the sector, but the limited proposals and action so far have done little to maintain the confidence of students and staff. There is a real concern that universities have encouraged students and staff to return to campus to maintain their income from tuition fees and accommodation rents, at the expense of health and safety.

Meanwhile, employers have already cut jobs, with significant numbers of fixed-term contracts already lost in higher education and compulsory redundancy consultations already underway.

The government needs to underwrite the sector so institutions can make sensible decisions which prioritise the health and safety of staff and students and ensure a strong sector for the future, rather than fixating on their bottom line and on site, in-person university working. 

In higher education, government and universities should follow the science, move learning online where possible and allow students to safely leave campus and be released from accommodation contracts.

Polls have shown that a majority of people believed students moving to universities would result in lockdowns or further restrictions in their area and there is now an ever growing number of areas where cases on campus are rising.

As your constituent, I would be grateful if you could, on my behalf, urge both the Secretary of State for Education and Treasury to guarantee funding for universities to counter any shortfall or additional expenses due to Covid-19. Action must be taken to protect these important sectors, the students and staff that work in them, as well as the communities they serve.

I would also encourage you to press government to call for, and your nearest universities to move to, online only teaching where possible.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Fund the future

Runnymede and Weybridge

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