University cuts could affect city’s culture plan

200 jobs could go

There are fears that potential redundancies and other plans to cut costs at the University of Plymouth could impact the city’s “buoyant” culture plan.

The city council and its partners are halfway through a 10-year strategy to make Plymouth a magnet for artists, creatives and social activists with the city’s three universities central to that.

But with a £22 million budget shortfall, the University of Plymouth has announced that around 200 jobs could be affected and both a gallery and cinema used by the public are under review.

It is understood that the school of art, design and architecture could be impacted by the cuts.

At a city council meeting this week, Cllr Angela Penrose (Lab, Compton) said there could be a big impact on Plymouth’s plan for creative growth and suggested it would be a good time for the council to meet the heads of the universities – including Arts University Plymouth and Marjon.

“I am really sorry to hear about these things (redundancies and cuts), but…it could be time for a collaborative move, thinking about how we safeguard those amenities so we get the civic provision we really want.”

Council leader Tudor Evans (Lab Ham) agreed saying it was “difficult to imagine what it would be like” without the three universities that played a huge part in the city’s growth board and its plan for economic development, Destination Plymouth and volunteering.

He continued: “Happily we are not going to be without them but we are certainly seeing at the moment a reduction of what they can do in civic life….Whether individual universities will want to discuss their own problems with us or with each other remains to be seen but the opportunity to have a discussion on how we move forward is incredibly important.”

Plymouth wants to be at the centre of a recent south west boom in creative jobs and has been building a reputation for innovation at The Box museum and art gallery, the Theatre Royal and at the Market Hall in Devonport which has a range of “dynamic” tech start-up businesses.

More than 9,000 people worked increative roles in Plymouth in 2023.  However, the sector is relatively small when compared with the national picture, with just two per cent of Plymouth employment in 2022 in the creative industries, less than half the national average.

The next stage is to form clusters for culture, performance, tech and production, where each creative industry can join to share resources and knowledge.

The culture cluster is centred around The Box and University of Plymouth and the Arts University.

Hannah Harris, CEO of Plymouth Culture said earlier this year: “Establishing micro clusters across the city is the first step in making the sector more visible and providing targeted support over time.

“Investing in the creative industries is a smart economic move. This sector not only grows rapidly but also generates positive spillover effects across other sectors, creating both social and economic value.”

The university, which made nearly 100 redundancies last year, told Plymouth Live that it would try to minimise compulsory job losses, but has increased costs and a 10 per cent drop in income.

Financial challenges are hitting universities countryside with a decline in international students, rising costs and a freeze on tuition fees.