Daily Mail

Vice-chancellor who says £227k pay isn’t enough . . . because he didn’t get a free house

- By Eleanor Harding Education Correspond­ent

‘ I can’t do my job properly because I’m not provided with a house. My job involves a lot of entertaini­ng Craig Mahoney

THE vice-chancellor of one of the lowest-ranked universiti­es has said his £ 227,000 salary is not enough – because he does not have a free home.

Craig Mahoney of the University of West Scotland complained his lack of a grace-and-favour property means he has nowhere to ‘entertain’ guests and hampers his work.

He said his six-figure salary is not enough to cover the costs of a suitable home.

His comments come after universiti­es minister Jo Johnson called for the endless ‘upwards ratchet’ of vice-chancellor pay to be linked to performanc­e. UWS is ranked 100th out of 129 in the Complete University Guide.

Many other vice-chancellor­s are given free – and often lavish – homes on top of their generous salaries so they can host visitors.

Professor Mahoney moved into his own accommodat­ion after quitting his directorsh­ip at the Higher Education Academy to take on the university role.

His listed address is a stylish apartment located in an 18th-century mansion, which sits between a leafy park and a golf course in Paisley – a town near Glasgow that is shortliste­d to become the 2021 UK City of Culture.

Defending the huge salaries enjoyed by himself and his counterpar­ts, Professor Mahoney said: ‘Do I think we’re paid too much? No, not really. My job is pretty all-consuming. I can’t do my job properly because I’m not provided with a house. My job involves a lot of entertaini­ng.’

His claims, circulated on social media, were derided yesterday by the former education secretary Lord Adonis, who joked that, compared to some of his peers, Prof Mahoney was ‘seriously poor’.

Sir Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Vice-chancellor­s do an extremely demanding and complex job, that said, I’ve cut my own pay to the lowest of any in the sector, and it’s embarrassi­ng in this climate to be paid so much more when salaries are so static for our staff.

‘At this time self-restraint is a good thing, and I think others would be wise to practise it.’

UWS ranks poorly for its student to staff ratio, is one of the worst institutio­ns for spending on facilities, and has one of the worst degree completion rates – with one in five students dropping out of courses before they finish.

The university has also declined to take part in the Government’s new Teaching Excellence Framework, which rewards institutio­ns according to their undergradu­ate teaching quality.

Despite his university’s track record, Professor Mahoney has insisted that his salary is justified, adding that he hopes to arrange a property for his successor when he leaves the position.

A spokesman for UWS said: ‘While a number of universiti­es in the UK higher education sector do provide accommodat­ion for their principals, UWS has no plans to pursue this.

‘The principal’s comments were made in the broader context of universiti­es having facilities that can be utilised to host national and internatio­nal guests ... not himself.’

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom