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Universities shamed for hiding bosses’ pay details

LECTURERS’ leaders “named and shamed” 24 universities yesterday that failed to reveal details of bosses’ pay and perks.

Academics’ union UCU made requests under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act to 159 universities concerning the remuneration of vice-chancellors and other senior managers.

While most universities complied, 18 simply ignored the request.Birmingham and Coventry universities avoided answering some questions by claiming exemptions under FoI rules and four — Bath Spa, Northampton, St Andrews and Highlands and Islands universities — answered only one question.

“Freedom of information legislation is important in holding universities that spend millions of pounds of public money to account,” said UCU general secretary Sally Hunt.

“It is not acceptable that some universities simply refuse to share this information.”UCU called for FoI legislation to be strengthened, but the government is drawing up plans to make universities exempt from FoI requests.

The union said that huge expenditure on “healthy salary increases, first-class trips around the world and bizarre expenses” have long been a source of frustration for university staff and government ministers.

“The full extent of universities’ spending on pay and perks for their bosses may make uncomfortable reading for some, but that does not give them the right to escape scrutiny,” Ms Hunt said.

Details of bosses’ pay packages revealed by the survey will be released next Thursday.

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