Jump in teaching staff earning more than £100k

Despite vice-chancellors demanding a £2 billion bailout from the Government to cover costs during the coronavirus pandemic the number of university staff paid more than £100,000 has risen by 14 per cent in the past year.

Research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance showed that more than 4,000 university officials were paid more than £100,000 between 2019 and 2020 with 860 paid more than £150,000. The alliance’s report shows 4,112 university officials were paid more than £100,000 in the last academic year compared with 3,615 in 2018/19. In response to a Freedom of Information request, one university, the London School of Economics, confessed that its paid 306 staff more than £100,000. The campaign group said there was no connection between the wages of senior staff and university satisfaction ratings from students

University vice-chancellors, who are typically the highest-paid officials, demanded a £2 billion bailout from the Government to keep their institutions afloat during the pandemic. The Government refused the request but told universities they could continue to charge the maximum fee of £9,250 to students this year.

Dame Glynis Breakwell, who left her vice-chancellor post at the University of Bath last year, was paid a basic salary of £470,000, also among the highest-paid was Louise Richardson, the vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, who was paid £410,000 a year, including pension contributions. Author of the research, Scott Simmonds, said: “These rankings reveal the thousands of university bosses taking home very plush pay packets."