The Uni Have Cut Our Grant By £200K And We Need To Talk About It

What is happening?

The University is proposing to reduce the SU’s annual block grant by 200k, which is roughly 20% of our grant from last year.

We understand that the University is under serious financial pressure, and we have never asked to be exempt from making savings. We have instead asked for the reduction to be phased over two years. This would give us more time to make changes responsibly and reduce the impact on students. We have spent months providing information, responding to requests and chasing for a decision. 

Where are we now? 

We are already more than a month into the financial year and still do not know our confirmed level of core funding.

What does this mean for me? 

A cut of 200k in one year would have a serious impact on what the SU can provide for students, and the time taken for this to be confirmed, while we have sought to negotiate in the interests of our members and their needs and activities, means we are now in the year without a confirmed grant. This means the impact of the cut and our response to the cut must be made in less than a year, on top of normal work to support students. While the university takes its time to decide, despite our numerous communications about the urgency and needs of students, we only feel the impact of the cut more acutely.

Our funding supports staff and student-staff who provide support, advice, support for societies and sports clubs, organise activities and campaigns, represent students and follow up when something goes wrong. It also supports money and opportunities that go directly back to students. 

With 200k less in one year, there would be less capacity across all of this. That could mean fewer advice appointments, longer waiting times, less time for individual cases, less funding for clubs and societies, and less funded activity. It would also reduce our ability to represent students and challenge decisions.

Why is this important or concerning? 

The size of the cut is serious, but the way it is happening makes the impact worse.

We asked for the reduction to be phased because we need time to prepare properly. Instead, months have passed while our funding has remained unresolved. Every month of delay takes away more of the time we asked for to protect services and plan changes responsibly. 

We are already operating in the new financial year without knowing our confirmed level of core funding. That means we are having to make decisions about services and the future of the Union without knowing what money we will actually receive. 

Our grant funding goes back to students through opportunities, support, funding for student groups and activities, campaigns, events and the spaces students use to organise, meet and be heard. A cut of this size would mean less capacity across all of this. 

Delays only make this worse; with less time available, making careful decisions to protect Union services becomes increasingly difficult. Time is currently being wasted.

What are we asking for? 

We are asking Goldsmiths to give us a clear answer on our proposal to phase the 200k reduction over two years. The longer our funding remains unresolved, the less time we have to prepare and the greater the risk that students and services will feel the impact. 

We want enough time to make responsible decisions and protect as much as possible of the support, opportunities, representation and activity students rely on. 

What can I do?

This is your Students’ Union, and this decision affects what we are able to provide for students. 

You can write to the Executive Board to tell them to take action on the grant. Feel free to use this email template to get started: https://shorturl.at/hlD3Y

You can also come into the SU and chat to us if you are affected.