LIVERPOOL Hope University intends to axe 39 staff before the end of the year, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today, Wednesday, 21 May 2025.

The threatened cuts will fall on the faculties of education and social sciences, creative arts and humanities, and human and digital sciences with courses including sociology, education studies and health science being hit. Management claims it needs to make the cuts due to its own predicted deficit, with staff set to go as soon as November (2025).

Despite the cuts to front-line staff, the university has healthy cash reserves and its vice-chancellor takes home a total package worth over £300k.

If the university refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies by Friday 23 May 2025, UCU will enter into a formal industrial dispute, which is the 1st step towards a possible strike ballot and disruption on campus.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said:- ‘Liverpool Hope has strong finances and plays a key role in providing access to the arts and humanities to young people across the North West, so it is shameful that management’s knee-jerk response to a projected deficit is to attempt to slash vital jobs. Senior managers must think again, otherwise our members will fight to defend jobs and student provision by any means necessary.’