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| The anatomy of a cut | The anatomy of a cut |
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| With all parties committed to cuts in public services, how is a cut actually made? Who decides on it, who enforces it and how do the rank-and-file react? Rajini Vaidyanathan unpicks just one example from the early 1980s. | With all parties committed to cuts in public services, how is a cut actually made? Who decides on it, who enforces it and how do the rank-and-file react? Rajini Vaidyanathan unpicks just one example from the early 1980s. |
| It was much more than anyone had anticipated. Staff at Salford University expected the institution to face cuts, but never as high as the 44% they turned out to be. | It was much more than anyone had anticipated. Staff at Salford University expected the institution to face cuts, but never as high as the 44% they turned out to be. |
| "The first feeling was one of disbelief - could there be a typing error," recalls Malcolm Winton, an employee at the time. | "The first feeling was one of disbelief - could there be a typing error," recalls Malcolm Winton, an employee at the time. |
| It was the moment when all of us began to realise that everything had changed David Aaronovitch, then NUS president | It was the moment when all of us began to realise that everything had changed David Aaronovitch, then NUS president |
| The year was 1981, and Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. Then, as now, talk of cuts in public services had become common parlance. Money needed to be saved, services would have to suffer. | The year was 1981, and Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. Then, as now, talk of cuts in public services had become common parlance. Money needed to be saved, services would have to suffer. |
| Higher education was one area the then prime minister earmarked for reductions. In the 1960s it had benefited from expansion and growth. But by 1981, as one academic put it, "the party was over". | Higher education was one area the then prime minister earmarked for reductions. In the 1960s it had benefited from expansion and growth. But by 1981, as one academic put it, "the party was over". |
| It was a moment that today many services - which have benefited from years of investment - are steeling themselves for. | It was a moment that today many services - which have benefited from years of investment - are steeling themselves for. |
| For newspaper commentator David Aaronovitch, then president of the National Union of Students, 1981 was "the moment I think when all of us began to realise that everything had changed". | For newspaper commentator David Aaronovitch, then president of the National Union of Students, 1981 was "the moment I think when all of us began to realise that everything had changed". |
| Back then universities received as much as 80-90% of their money from central government. Today, Salford's receives just 36% of its overall budget from central funding. | Back then universities received as much as 80-90% of their money from central government. Today, Salford's receives just 36% of its overall budget from central funding. |
| Crash course | Crash course |
| Mrs Thatcher decided spending on universities overall should be cut by around 15%, but the decision as to which budgets got slashed, and by how much, was passed down to the quango responsible for handing out university cash - the University Grants Committee. | Mrs Thatcher decided spending on universities overall should be cut by around 15%, but the decision as to which budgets got slashed, and by how much, was passed down to the quango responsible for handing out university cash - the University Grants Committee. |
| It decided not to spread the cuts evenly, but to finger three institutions in particular- Aston, Bradford and Salford. Salford, a technology college, was the worst hit with a 44% cut in its budget over three years. | It decided not to spread the cuts evenly, but to finger three institutions in particular- Aston, Bradford and Salford. Salford, a technology college, was the worst hit with a 44% cut in its budget over three years. |
| When Mrs Thatcher visited, students held a silent protest, waving black flags | When Mrs Thatcher visited, students held a silent protest, waving black flags |
| One newspaper at the time described the position Salford was in as an "emergency crash course to save money". | One newspaper at the time described the position Salford was in as an "emergency crash course to save money". |
| The man it became a crash course for was its newly-appointed vice chancellor, John Ashworth. | The man it became a crash course for was its newly-appointed vice chancellor, John Ashworth. |
| He remembers a "dreadful" atmosphere at the university at the time he arrived. | He remembers a "dreadful" atmosphere at the university at the time he arrived. |
| "I was told that there were some members of staff who just sat weeping in their offices and refused to come out. It was very difficult to convey the sheer depression of the place and my first job was to say the other side of a threat is an opportunity." | "I was told that there were some members of staff who just sat weeping in their offices and refused to come out. It was very difficult to convey the sheer depression of the place and my first job was to say the other side of a threat is an opportunity." |
| It's a point that Aaronovitch is keen to press home today, noting how Salford learned to attract outside investment. | It's a point that Aaronovitch is keen to press home today, noting how Salford learned to attract outside investment. |
| "There were people who said there should be no attempt to mitigate [the cuts], but this was a bovine strategy," he says. "Resisting wouldn't have got anybody anywhere although the cut in Salford was swingeing, the paradox is that it forced the institution into a wholesale change of strategy." | "There were people who said there should be no attempt to mitigate [the cuts], but this was a bovine strategy," he says. "Resisting wouldn't have got anybody anywhere although the cut in Salford was swingeing, the paradox is that it forced the institution into a wholesale change of strategy." |
| Persuaded to leave | Persuaded to leave |
| Mr Ashworth, now Sir John, set about trying to minimise the impact of the cuts to ensure no students would be forced out. But even then, some actions were inevitable. | Mr Ashworth, now Sir John, set about trying to minimise the impact of the cuts to ensure no students would be forced out. But even then, some actions were inevitable. |
| "Universities are essentially labour intensive, so cuts of that size must mean job losses," he says. | "Universities are essentially labour intensive, so cuts of that size must mean job losses," he says. |
| Salford became a focus for protest, hosting a national march against cuts | Salford became a focus for protest, hosting a national march against cuts |
| That meant persuading 500 members of staff to leave. Deciding who went and who stayed was complicated. Those who were lecturers were on contracts of academic tenure, which meant they had to be persuaded to quit, rather than be sacked. | That meant persuading 500 members of staff to leave. Deciding who went and who stayed was complicated. Those who were lecturers were on contracts of academic tenure, which meant they had to be persuaded to quit, rather than be sacked. |
| Malcolm Winton, who worked in personnel at the time and had to balance the books, recalls some "awkward and stressful" discussions. | Malcolm Winton, who worked in personnel at the time and had to balance the books, recalls some "awkward and stressful" discussions. |
| "I can remember one or two quite difficult conversations with relatively senior professors who perhaps felt that they were above this sort of thing, but the vice chancellor made it very clear that nobody was outside this exercise. | "I can remember one or two quite difficult conversations with relatively senior professors who perhaps felt that they were above this sort of thing, but the vice chancellor made it very clear that nobody was outside this exercise. |
| "Senior staff had to take their share of the pain and a fair number of them had to go as you had to lead by example, there was no point saying it was everybody else who went," he says. | "Senior staff had to take their share of the pain and a fair number of them had to go as you had to lead by example, there was no point saying it was everybody else who went," he says. |
| Book sharing | Book sharing |
| Staff who retired were given "generous payouts". The university established partnerships with local businesses to help get lecturers who had left, back to work. In other cases some were kept on, on a freelance basis. For those who left, a charitable fund was set up to assist people in particular financial difficulty. | Staff who retired were given "generous payouts". The university established partnerships with local businesses to help get lecturers who had left, back to work. In other cases some were kept on, on a freelance basis. For those who left, a charitable fund was set up to assist people in particular financial difficulty. |
| Nevertheless, the impact was plain to see, remembers Brian Iddon MP - then an academic at the chemistry department. He recalls an air of depression in his team as members of staff quit his team. | Nevertheless, the impact was plain to see, remembers Brian Iddon MP - then an academic at the chemistry department. He recalls an air of depression in his team as members of staff quit his team. |
| HOW SALFORD FOUGHT BACK Set about raising profile of university and building links with businessConverted double-decker buses into mobile education centres - to evangelise technology expertise to business and schoolsInitiatives helped generate money from outside sourcesBy 1991 private funding had doubled to 40% of Salford's overall budget | HOW SALFORD FOUGHT BACK Set about raising profile of university and building links with businessConverted double-decker buses into mobile education centres - to evangelise technology expertise to business and schoolsInitiatives helped generate money from outside sourcesBy 1991 private funding had doubled to 40% of Salford's overall budget |
| Although he kept his job through the time of the cuts, he remembers as many as 15 out of 45 jobs going in his department, and attending so many leaving dos that he became "a bit blase" about them. | Although he kept his job through the time of the cuts, he remembers as many as 15 out of 45 jobs going in his department, and attending so many leaving dos that he became "a bit blase" about them. |
| New lab equipment couldn't be afforded and class sizes grew. Where Mr Iddon might have been handling four to six students, he was suddenly teaching as many as 10 or 12. | New lab equipment couldn't be afforded and class sizes grew. Where Mr Iddon might have been handling four to six students, he was suddenly teaching as many as 10 or 12. |
| "You lost the personal familiarity with an individual," he says. "It was pretty difficult the first thing that started to happen was that the university library stopped buying essential books and journals. That meant we had to go to Manchester University and get them on inter-library loan." | "You lost the personal familiarity with an individual," he says. "It was pretty difficult the first thing that started to happen was that the university library stopped buying essential books and journals. That meant we had to go to Manchester University and get them on inter-library loan." |
| As well as equipment, some at the time remember walls going unpainted, and repairs being postponed due to a lack of funds. | As well as equipment, some at the time remember walls going unpainted, and repairs being postponed due to a lack of funds. |
| While Mr Ashworth publicly opposed the scale of the cuts, he believed protesting against them would be fruitless, and set about thinking up other ways to raise funds. | While Mr Ashworth publicly opposed the scale of the cuts, he believed protesting against them would be fruitless, and set about thinking up other ways to raise funds. |
| "If the government cuts your budget then you have to replace that money with money from somewhere else or you have to get smaller. But I didn't want to get smaller," he adds. | "If the government cuts your budget then you have to replace that money with money from somewhere else or you have to get smaller. But I didn't want to get smaller," he adds. |
| Black flags | Black flags |
| Despite students' reputation for radicalism, the union didn't bury its head in the sand. Jim Mooney, the union president at the time. remembers working "side-by-side" with the university, and the National Union of Students to oppose the cuts, but also make the best of them. | Despite students' reputation for radicalism, the union didn't bury its head in the sand. Jim Mooney, the union president at the time. remembers working "side-by-side" with the university, and the National Union of Students to oppose the cuts, but also make the best of them. |
| John Ashworth as vice chancellor - refused to become a victim | John Ashworth as vice chancellor - refused to become a victim |
| But many students felt Salford had been unfairly singled out and, when Mrs Thatcher visited the university, they saw an opportunity to protest. | But many students felt Salford had been unfairly singled out and, when Mrs Thatcher visited the university, they saw an opportunity to protest. |
| "We had a huge black coffin with 'RIP The University of Salford' on it, and big black flags. Everybody was dressed in black," says Mr Mooney, who now runs his own media production company. "[Mrs Thatcher] turned up and rather than huge amounts of shouting there was total silence, she got out of her car and everybody turned their back on her." | "We had a huge black coffin with 'RIP The University of Salford' on it, and big black flags. Everybody was dressed in black," says Mr Mooney, who now runs his own media production company. "[Mrs Thatcher] turned up and rather than huge amounts of shouting there was total silence, she got out of her car and everybody turned their back on her." |
| Salford also became the focus for a national demonstration against the cuts. | Salford also became the focus for a national demonstration against the cuts. |
| With the benefit of nearly 30 years of hindsight, Sir John now believes the university became stronger, attracting outside investment and overseas students. | With the benefit of nearly 30 years of hindsight, Sir John now believes the university became stronger, attracting outside investment and overseas students. |
| But others reflect on the change of strategy in a less positive light. Mr Iddon argues the 1981 cuts heralded "the beginning of the end of some very distinguished science and engineering departments". | But others reflect on the change of strategy in a less positive light. Mr Iddon argues the 1981 cuts heralded "the beginning of the end of some very distinguished science and engineering departments". |
| For those contemplating cuts in the present day, Aaronovitch argues much can be gleaned from the Salford experience. | For those contemplating cuts in the present day, Aaronovitch argues much can be gleaned from the Salford experience. |
| "There's a really clear lesson that can be learnt from Salford. Don't just wait for the thing to happen to you then lament it and resist it and think your job is done. Be proactive, draw people into the process of deciding how you're going to do things differently." | "There's a really clear lesson that can be learnt from Salford. Don't just wait for the thing to happen to you then lament it and resist it and think your job is done. Be proactive, draw people into the process of deciding how you're going to do things differently." |
| Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |
| I was a student at Salford from 1986-1989. By the time I got there, the cuts were over and everything had settled down. There was no sense of gloom or desperation anymore, much more a sense of determination in fact. I believe John Ashworth did a great job of handling the cuts and showed that with a good leader an institution can survive and prosper. At the time the cuts may have seemed harsh, but there was a general sense 5 years later than there must have been a huge amount of waste and that it wasn't so bad after all. After Ashworth's departure however, Salford has fared badly. It used to have a real edge in engineering, but that has all but disappeared as students just don't want to do demanding technical courses so much. I think Salford's decline is sad, but it had little to do with the 1981 cuts. Thatcher was always a hate figure at Salford and I did my fair share of demonstrating and egg throwing. But I think in hindsight she was right on the mark at identifying the enormous waste and inefficiency in the public sector, which sadly there is still too much of.Paul Taylor, Cambridge | |
| As a student who attended the university in the 80s, a few years after the cuts (and was tutored by Dr Iddon), I have to say that the University of Salford clearly came out stronger from the change, with much stronger links to industry - a key reason I chose it.Andrew Bruce, Switzerland | |
| I remember this only all too well. I was a junior researcher at Bradford University at the time, on a fixed term contract. When the cuts came, it was clear who was easiest to get rid of - my hoped for career as a lecturer (I taught statistics, psychology and research methods to our MSc Education students), came to an abrupt end. I did manage to get another research job, but a long way away, I'm sure that my young family suffered as a result. They were tough and brutal times.Brandon Ashworth, Sheffield | |
| Surprise, Surprise. A Conservative government under Mrs Thatcher decided that the most swingeing cuts would be in universities in the North and Midlands. God forbid London or the South East might lose out.Chris, Preston | |
| As I was receiving money from various sources, including my holiday jobs, I was able to stomach paying the full home fees rate for all of my academic years at university. However, I am now rather tired of universities complaining that they are short of money, despite having received huge increases in income through the introduction of tuition fees, private sector involvement, huge increases in income from international students etc. British society and the government should publicly say that they are not going to give heed to their nonsensical crowing about how they don't have the money to compete with American universities and demand that they provide high-quality education without huge increases in taxpayer funding or else. Universities have received huge increases in their incomes, have not delivered and really need to buck up their ideas.Graeme Phillips, Northfleet, UK | As I was receiving money from various sources, including my holiday jobs, I was able to stomach paying the full home fees rate for all of my academic years at university. However, I am now rather tired of universities complaining that they are short of money, despite having received huge increases in income through the introduction of tuition fees, private sector involvement, huge increases in income from international students etc. British society and the government should publicly say that they are not going to give heed to their nonsensical crowing about how they don't have the money to compete with American universities and demand that they provide high-quality education without huge increases in taxpayer funding or else. Universities have received huge increases in their incomes, have not delivered and really need to buck up their ideas.Graeme Phillips, Northfleet, UK |
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