University’s £350k top job under fire over 55% pay rise
A university has been criticised for increasing the salary of its vice-chancellor by 55 per cent over six years, taking it £352,000 a year.
southampton university, currently led by sir Christopher snowden, was singled out by universities minister Jo Johnson as an example of the ‘endless upward ratchet’ of fat cat pay since tuition fees started.
Mr Johnson hit out at the ‘sharp increase’ handed out over six years and called for restraint. He warned that students have been raising concerns about high wage packets for senior staff after paying up to £9,250 a year for their course.
southampton – one of the russell Group of leading uK universities – got only the minimum award of bronze in a new Government rankings on teaching standards earlier this month.
sir Christopher joined the university in 2015 on a salary that was £125,000 higher than the £227,000 his predecessor Don nutbeam was paid in 2009-2010. Mr Johnson has repeatedly written to universities urging them to halt lavish pay rises, but many appear to have ignored him.
speaking yesterday at a higher education conference at the university of Buckingham, he said: ‘there are legitimate concerns about the rate at which vC pay has been growing. it’s hard for students at a time when they want to see real evidence of value for money from their tuition fees. ‘they do have concerns at the rate of growth in vC pay and i would urge the sector to show leadership in this respect.’
Britain’s highest paid vice-chancellor is Dame Glynis Breakwell, 64, of the university of Bath, who was given an 11 per cent pay rise last year that took her total salary and benefits to £451,000. the next best rewarded university leader is Alice Gast, president of imperial College London, whose package was £430,000.
Mr Johnson said that as universities are independent bodies, the Government would not seek to set their pay bands.
But he added that it was the responsibility of elite institutions, such as russell Group members, to halt the ballooning salaries of senior staff, which would also stop universities poaching each other’s staff with offers of more money.
He said: ‘i don’t think we need to accept an endless upward ratchet and to show the kind of restraint that i’ve been calling for.’
According to a recent study, 55 universities paid their heads more than £300,000 and 11 vice-chancellors now have a package worth more than £400,000 a year.
Mr Johnson gave southampton as an example of where more modesty may be needed – although he did not mention the vice-chancellor or his university by name. He said: ‘there’s one institution on the south coast that’s seen its vice-chancellor pay rise from £227,000 in 2009-10 to about £350,000 in 2015-16. that’s really quite a sharp increase.
‘We are watching this closely. they are in receipt of public money. that’s why i’ve been calling for restraint for some time.’
yesterday, a spokesman for southampton said its vice-chancellors had been awarded increments in line with the higher education national pay award.
Gill rider, chairman of the university council, said: ‘We believe that this salary is reflective of the quality and high level of expertise which he brings to the university.
‘this is a large, complex, international institution and we are delighted sir Christopher has taken this important leadership role and it is appropriate he is remunerated for his experience.’
‘An endless upward ratchet’