We, the undersigned, call for Lancaster University Students’ Union to hold an all-student referendum on the question: “Do you have confidence in Lancaster University’s Vice-Chancellor and his Executive Team?”

We do not have confidence in the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andy Schofield, and the entire Executive Team of Lancaster University, and call for their immediate resignation for the following reasons:

• Throughout the pandemic, they have demonstrated their unwillingness to prioritise student and staff welfare above the financial interests of the University.

• Despite the pandemic, they told students to come back to campus last term. We believe that this put the health of students and staff at risk, and led to the Lancaster University campus having the highest Covid-19 infection rate in all of Lancashire, despite the warnings of the UCU, Unite and Unison branches on campus.

• They continue to demand that some students pay rent for rooms they cannot access. They failed to make a reasonable rent reduction offer to all students in University-managed accommodation in response to the rent strike.

• They charged students £17.95 for emergency food supplies during the pandemic, forcing students to rely upon donations and volunteers to get food whilst they were self-isolating.

• In the midst of the pandemic, they decided to raise campus rents for the next academic year. This is on top of the above-inflation rent rises that have already been applied to University accommodation for years. For example, weekly rent for a townhouse room was £78.40 in 2009/10, but will be £132.93 in 2021/22 - an increase of 70%!

• The University (and by extension, students, though our tuition fees and rents) paid for £52,000 in “improvements” to the house the Vice-Chancellor rents. This is on top of his £300,000+ salary and emoluments.

• The number of senior Lancaster University management staff being paid excessive £100,000+ salaries has risen from 25 in 2013/14 to 65 in 2019/20.

• The University has been hit by a number of management bullying allegations, including the victimisation of a trade union official, which is due to be heard at an employment tribunal. At least 29 former Lancaster University staff have been made to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements since 2015.

• The University’s failure to address staff concerns about casualisation, pay equality and pensions forced UCU members to go on strike several times in recent years. Despite senior management’s massive salaries, junior academics are usually severely underpaid and employed on insecure precarious contracts. 

• Whilst some vice-chancellors have called on the government to scrap interest on student loans, there has been silence on this from Lancaster University management in the pandemic.

• The governance structures of the University have become increasingly undemocratic and unaccountable in recent years, with the abolition of bodies such as University Court. 

• Despite years of student campaigning, Lancaster University still doesn’t have an ethical investment policy, and continues to invest in arms manufacturers, the tobacco industry, and fossil fuel companies.

Note: Once this petition receives 150 signatures, it will be debated by the Executive Committee. We respectfully ask the members of the Executive Committee to use their power to refer the matter to a student referendum under Article 15.1.2 of the Articles of Association. In any case, according to Article 15.1.3, once this petition receives the support of 2% of students (about 300 students), a referendum will automatically be called. We expect the Students’ Union to give formal notice of the referendum as soon as the 2% threshold is reached, so that the all-student vote can take place alongside the FTO and NUS delegate elections due to take place 3rd-5th March 2021.