London Met responsible for shambles,’ says report

THE position of many governors at London’s biggest university has become untenable’ after a damning report over false accounting’ laid the blame at their door, the union representing lecturers said. Incorrect data on student numbers at the London Met, which governs what Government cash it gets, had been known about since 2004

THE position of many governors at London's biggest university has become 'untenable' after a damning report over 'false accounting' laid the blame at their door, the union representing lecturers said.

The report by Sir David Melville indicates the incorrect data on student numbers at the London Metropolitan, which governs what cash it gets from the Government, had been known about as early as 2004.

The board failed to challenge effectively the-then vice-chancellor who the report criticises heavily, the UCU union points out.

Staff were "routinely ignored, which created a highly centralised and dictatorial executive that was incapable of listening to what was going on," the union declared in a statement.

General secretary Sally Hunt said: "I fail to see how many of the board of governors can remain in post after such a damning report, which completely vindicates everything the union has been saying.

"Yet while it might be nice to be right, it is no comfort in these extraordinary circumstances. We take no pleasure in the London Met's current plight."

The accounting 'mistakes' in students numbers at the London Met, with 34,000 listed students on its roll call, led to Whitehall clawing back cash which has left the university �35 million short. This resulted in redundancies being announced in the summer which, in turn, led to industrial action by lecturers at the campuses in Aldgate, Whitechapel, Moorgate and Holloway.