Letter to Andy Burnham following his appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Dear Andy,

Warmest congratulations on becoming Prime Minister.

We know you need universities to be part of the answer to how we get this country back in shape and to work for everyone, everywhere. Universities are national strategic assets, here to serve the four nations of the United Kingdom.

In Greater Manchester, you have seen how the five universities work together in the service of the city region. They are economic anchors, attracting talent and investment, sparking creativity and generating discoveries and ideas, and which become new companies and new jobs. They are up for being deployed where you need them, as they are in Atom Valley and across the city region. They are capable of putting aside individual interest to work with each other and with schools, colleges and public service organisations in the interests of all the people of the city, not only those who go to universities themselves.

What you have seen and nurtured in Greater Manchester happens elsewhere too, to varying degrees. We believe that we can work together with your Government to spread the best of what happens in some places, to more places.

In Greater Manchester, as in so many other places, universities were founded by local leaders who saw that their city regions needed institutions which could help their citizens make the most of the economic opportunities ahead, and contribute to social and cultural wealth too. Whether it is the University of Sheffield, founded by penny subscriptions, or Norwich University of the Arts, founded to provide designers for local industries: these cities needed universities, and they still need them.

We wrote you a long list of the things we want from you. We have decided not to send it, despite all of the pressures our sector is facing. 

Instead, we want to make a promise. Universities UK will work every day to ensure that our universities serve the needs of the nation. In September we’ll launch a series of ambitious proposals to boost graduate employability. We’ve already committed to a goal of attracting £100bn into start-ups and spin outs. And we’re working to help universities transform how they work to be more efficient and collaborative through our Transformation and Efficiency programme. We’ll work with you on the NEETs challenge. We’ll encourage partnerships with colleges to create pathways to good jobs for people who are currently being left behind. 

But we do need you, and the Government you lead, standing beside us. Our universities are a reason to be proud of the UK. Please work with us to keep them that way. Give us a bit of predictability and policy stability, particularly in relation to funding, regulation and international student recruitment. Join up policy across government. Challenge us for sure, but talk this sector up, not down.

This country needs reasons to be optimistic about its future. We want universities to be one of them.

We wish you every success as Prime Minister. 

Yours sincerely,

Vivienne Stern and Malcolm Press