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Swansea Met and Trinity Saint David join as Cardiff Met fights own merger plan | Swansea Met and Trinity Saint David join as Cardiff Met fights own merger plan |
(about 1 hour later) | |
As two Welsh universities join under a scheme to promote closer working relationships another fights plans for it to merge with two others. | As two Welsh universities join under a scheme to promote closer working relationships another fights plans for it to merge with two others. |
Swansea Metropolitan University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David have agreed to unite. | Swansea Metropolitan University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David have agreed to unite. |
But Cardiff Metropolitan University claims it is being asked to merge with Newport and Glamorgan without a proper business case. | But Cardiff Metropolitan University claims it is being asked to merge with Newport and Glamorgan without a proper business case. |
The education minister says there needs to be fewer universities in Wales. | The education minister says there needs to be fewer universities in Wales. |
Leighton Andrews has also said it was vital for universities to build their strengths through greater commitment to collaboration, partnership and merger. | Leighton Andrews has also said it was vital for universities to build their strengths through greater commitment to collaboration, partnership and merger. |
University of Wales Trinity Saint David was itself formed out of a merger between Trinity University College, Carmarthen, and the University of Wales Lampeter, Ceredigion. They joined forces in 2010. | University of Wales Trinity Saint David was itself formed out of a merger between Trinity University College, Carmarthen, and the University of Wales Lampeter, Ceredigion. They joined forces in 2010. |
Under the new merger, the Swansea Met brand will remain, but it will come under the umbrella of Trinity Saint David. | Under the new merger, the Swansea Met brand will remain, but it will come under the umbrella of Trinity Saint David. |
The new university will have up to 13,000 students. | The new university will have up to 13,000 students. |
Business case | Business case |
Elsewhere, the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport, said in July they would merge. | Elsewhere, the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport, said in July they would merge. |
The merger plans also include Cardiff Metropolitan University, but on Thursday it claimed Leighton Andrews was asking it to unite with Newport and Glamorgan without a proper business case. | The merger plans also include Cardiff Metropolitan University, but on Thursday it claimed Leighton Andrews was asking it to unite with Newport and Glamorgan without a proper business case. |
Cardiff Metropolitan University said it was considering referring the education minister's plans to force it to merge with two other universities to spending watchdogs. | Cardiff Metropolitan University said it was considering referring the education minister's plans to force it to merge with two other universities to spending watchdogs. |
Its board of governors believes that after a year of requesting to see the business case, it may not exist. | Its board of governors believes that after a year of requesting to see the business case, it may not exist. |
They are considering making a report to the assembly's public accounts committee - which scrutinises Welsh government expenditure - about "the manner in which the minister's office has behaved in this process with public money". | They are considering making a report to the assembly's public accounts committee - which scrutinises Welsh government expenditure - about "the manner in which the minister's office has behaved in this process with public money". |
Chair Barbara Wilding said the board would also speak with the auditor general for Wales about how it was being asked to make changes without a business case. | Chair Barbara Wilding said the board would also speak with the auditor general for Wales about how it was being asked to make changes without a business case. |
On Friday, she told BBC Radio Wales governors would consider a merger if it was to benefit education provision and did not reduce choice of courses, the loss of hundreds of jobs and the closure of campuses. | |
"Any merger normally results in a reduction somewhere but, the point of this is, the gap between how much it is going to cost and how much is available could be very large indeed." | |
She said it was important to see a business case for the merger before further consideration could be given. | |
£100m | |
"The bottom line is we have a minister we believe has entered a legal process without knowing how much it is going to cost, how much the taxpayer of Wales is going to have to pay and what are the risks" she said. | |
"This would be the most complex merger in higher education in the United Kingdom. | |
"And having looked at those other mergers and how much they have cost to be successful... you are talking somewhere in the region of £100m." | |
A Welsh government spokesperson said that the Wales Audit Office was "well aware" of the issues to do with reconfiguration in higher education in south east Wales. | A Welsh government spokesperson said that the Wales Audit Office was "well aware" of the issues to do with reconfiguration in higher education in south east Wales. |
It said that following a Wales Audit Office report in 2009, the assembly audit committee - the predecessor to the public accounts committee - concluded the Welsh government and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales needed to encourage better collaboration with universities. | It said that following a Wales Audit Office report in 2009, the assembly audit committee - the predecessor to the public accounts committee - concluded the Welsh government and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales needed to encourage better collaboration with universities. |
"We'll take all responses to the consultation extremely seriously," the spokesperson added. | "We'll take all responses to the consultation extremely seriously," the spokesperson added. |