More than 1,500 staff members at the University of Sheffield have backed a motion of no confidence in the institution’s executive board and council.
The University and College Union (UCU) called on vice-chancellor Koen Lamberts to resign in the wake of the vote, saying confidence was at an “all time low”.
The university recorded an underlying operating deficit of £11.5 million in 2024-25 after it suffered a £56 million fall in income for the year, which was mainly driven by a 22 per cent reduction in international tuition fee income.
It has undergone several restructuring exercises in recent years, most recently consulting on cuts within its renowned chemistry department, with the likely loss of six full-time equivalent (FTE) posts, about 20 per cent of employees.
A similar restructure is also taking place in Sheffield’s materials science and engineering department, where eight FTE posts are set to be cut, again about 20 per cent, while further posts are set to go in East Asian studies, mainly in Japanese and Korean studies.
