Portsmouth University Vice Chancellor accepts pay rise amid staff cuts
His salary has increased to £320,000
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth has been accused of showing a “lack of self awareness” after accepting another pay rise while the institution continues to cut costs and staff.
Professor Graham Galbraith, who has led the university since 2013, saw his salary rise from £312,000 to £320,000 for the year beginning August 2024. In addition, he was awarded a £65,000 pension allowance.
Prof Galbraith had previously come under fire in April 2023 for accepting a £15,000 pay rise while the university was preparing staff reductions.
University finances
The university’s financial review for the year ending 31 July 2024 reported “mounting pressures” across the higher education sector, including capped home fees, rising costs and declining international student numbers.
In January 2024, UoP launched its Reset Programme after a £22m shortfall in overseas tuition fee income. Overall income fell by £9.4m in 2023/24, largely due to weaker international recruitment.
The university’s available cash dropped by £38.7m, from £328.7m in 2022/23 to £290m in 2023/24. The decline was mainly due to investment in buildings and equipment, as well as the early repayment of a loan in July 2024.
The review stated that “despite financial challenges” the university is prioritising investments in its “£290m estates and digital masterplans” to support growth and efficiency.
The Reset Programme reduced overall spending from £314.8m in 2022/23 to £295.1m in 2023/24—a saving of £19.7m.
Staff cuts
Staff costs were cut by £6m between 2022/23 and 2023/24. The number of full-time equivalent staff fell from 2,778 to 2,629 over the same period, representing a loss of 149 jobs.
The review noted that UoP has carried out “several” restructuring exercises to offset lost income, alongside a “recruitment freeze to realign resources and reduce costs across the University”.
A member of staff told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that a free bus travel initiative for employees has been scrapped. They also claimed that eleven members of the finance department had left.
The pay rise
Prof Galbraith’s increase was approved by the university’s remuneration committee. Governors concluded he had “attained a high level of performance” and demonstrated a “huge degree of commitment” throughout 2023/24.
They pointed to the university’s second Teaching Excellence Framework Gold award and improved standings in the Guardian and Complete University Guide league tables.
The committee decided the vice-chancellor “should” receive a salary of £320,081 from 1 August 2024—an uplift of 5 per cent described as a “modest increase in the prevailing circumstances”.
In April 2024, the University and College Union (UCU) held a formal vote of no confidence in Prof Galbraith, with 94 per cent of members expressing no confidence in his leadership. The vote was not mentioned in the financial review, nor considered by the remuneration committee.
Reacting to the pay rise, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Higher education staff will be appalled that in the current climate vice-chancellors are still pocketing substantial pay increases, whilst at the same time cutting jobs and refusing fair pay increases for staff.
“The lack of self-awareness when it comes to university leader’s own rewards continues to be an embarrassment for the sector, it looks very much like one rule for those at the top and another for everyone else.”
She added that she has contacted UoP about the end of free bus travel “but yet to hear back”.
A UoP spokesperson said the finance department is being “reorganised” and that “so far” involuntary redundancies have been avoided. They did not confirm whether eleven staff had left through voluntary redundancy.
When asked to clarify whether further job losses have taken place beyond the 149 recorded between 2022/23 and 2023/24, they said: “University-wide, we’ve made 23 compulsory redundancies in the 2024/25 academic year, while working to minimise job losses through natural attrition and voluntary redundancy.
“As has been widely reported, the university sector continues to experience significant challenges, and we have responded to this with a series of measures to improve and innovate in the provision of our education and in the running of our operations.
“Addressing our current situation by putting us on a sound financial footing while planning for the future is essential if we are to remain competitive over the long term and create a secure employment environment.”