Governing body for new Peterborough university formed

A new body which will be in charge of governing the future University of Peterborough has been formed.

The creation of the Shadow Council of University Centre Peterborough (UCP) marks a step forward in the project which is due to see the new university open in October 2022.

The council, which has now met for the first time, will operate in its shadow capacity until August 2019, after which it will become the governing body of the future university once it evolves from UCP.

The first chair of the body is Professor Sir Les Ebdon who has previously been involved in the establishment of new universities at Plymouth and most recently Bedfordshire, where he was Vice Chancellor until 2012.

He said: “My appointment and the first meeting of UCP’s shadow council marks another key step in its journey to become an independent university and to help raise levels of educational achievement across the city.”

The shadow council has student and staff members as well as representatives from Peterborough Regional College, Anglia Ruskin University, Peterborough City Council and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CA), plus independent representatives from the local business, voluntary and educational community.

Last month it was announced by the city council that it had started a feasibility study to create a new student campus on Bishop’s Road. The CA has awarded £9.74 million for the establishment of the campus.