03 June 2026 
Amanda Darley, Head of Operations and Engagement
BUFDG
We’re recruiting for a brand-new accounting role that we hope will be of interest to some of our members … If you're an accountant with fantastic communication skills and excellent technical knowledge of higher education accounting, looking for a part-time job which is totally different to most accounting roles (you won't actually do any accounting!), and you want to work for an amazing organisation supporting finance teams across the entire H E sector, then come and join our fantastic team in this unique role! Our new BUFDG Accounting Specialist role is two days a week – so perhaps you're looking for something to compliment a part-time role within a university, or perhaps you are looking to reduce your hours and this would fit perfectly. Take a look at the details and apply here. (Closing date 15 June).
Having had a wonderful day at the Scottish Universities Finance Conference again last week, we’re very much looking forward to our first ever English H E Conference on 1 July – FREE for any BUFDG members in English H E institutions, at all levels/in any finance role, it will be held at the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston Park Conference Centre. Find out more (the programme is now available) and book your free place here (quick before it’s all booked up!). (Early feedback from the Scottish conference shows that our delegates enjoyed it with over 97% likely to return next year, with comments such as ‘One of the best Conferences I have attended’.)
This edition’s Shared/Sector-owned Services Spotlight is on NORMAN Managed Services - a managed service desk supporting staff and students at 40 universities (so far!) with IT support across a whole range of areas including operating systems, cloud based productivity tools, cyber security, and virtual learning environments. NORMAN enables universities to extend IT and student support services while controlling costs, providing access to a shared capability that would be difficult and costly to sustain individually. See BUFDG’s main takeaways from our Shared Services Showcase session below, and watch the recording / access the slides here.
BUFDG’s takeaways: The session explored the key factors that have allowed NORMAN to build trust and operate successfully across multiple institutions, including deep sector expertise, close institutional relationships, and sustained investment in shared capability. One aspect that stood out was the connection between the delivery of IT support and the overall student experience - with so much teaching, learning, and communication done digitally, ensuring everyone has smooth access to this really is a core / high priority.
SECTOR
The release of the British Socal Attitudes survey from the National Centre for Social Research has (partly) shown a marked decrease in public support for (some aspects of) higher education, with the story picked up in the BBC, the Guardian, and the FT(£). Generally, support for the value of a degree and the numbers going to university has declined, but the proportion believing that all/some students/families should pay for the cost of tuition has also declined. One pretty stark stat is that over a third (34%) of respondents believe a university education ‘just isn’t worth the time and money it usually takes’ (a figure which was just 14% in 2005), with 39% of non-graduates thinking this compared to 27% of graduates. But the survey overall shows a more mixed and nuanced picture. This Wonkhe article breaks down some of the numbers, including pointing out that despite some of the support for H E decreasing, ‘the majority of people … feel… that opportunities to attend university are at the right level or should be increased’. Wonkhe also praises the methodology of the survey as ‘one of our very best ways to track changes in public opinion and attitudes over time’.
Wonkhe tells ‘a new story about the potential for universities to repair a fraying social fabric and in doing so secure their own futures’ based on the Commission for Better Economic Growth, and argues that universities ‘must be clear in what they can and cannot do’ when looking to research as the ‘way out of the quagmire of political inertia that has left a generation of young people chronically unemployed’.
Alan Milburn’s (interim) report on Young People and Work (dubbed the NEET report), garnered a lot of mainstream press recently (e.g. with the BBC and the Guardian, which sets out an easy to follow summary – though the report itself asks the reader ‘not to look for the chapter that confirms what they already believe, but to follow the argument as it builds. Each chapter rests on the last. The diagnosis is cumulative. The weight of it is the point’.) And DK pulls out aspects of the report relevant to the H E sector over on Wonkhe, (but it’s also a great summary of the report in general). Whilst 15% of NEETS have a degree, 57% of those are NEET for less than a year (compared to only 16% with no qualifications), but while “graduates remain more likely to be employed, more likely to be in highly skilled work, and likely to earn more than their non-graduate peers”, that graduate premium remains “solid” in London/SE but is falling elsewhere. The report ‘post-compulsory education as a “shock absorber” – historically, when the jobs market has tightened participation in education rose. This happened after the 2008 financial crisis. It is not happening now.’ Milburn’s final report, due in the autumn, promises ‘the parameters of a “system reset”’.
UUK has published results of its latest cost-cutting survey, with responses from 48 universities. Key findings include that while 79% are pursuing cost savings with voluntary redundancies, 27% are cutting student bursaries and scholarships, and 31% are making cuts to academic research activity, most are also looking towards collaboration as part of the solution to financial issues with 71% open to shared procurement, 65% considering federations or alliances, and 2 out of 5 open to mergers or acquisitions with other institutions.
There have been a plethora of LLE updates issued including: On maintenance loans for living costs; more detail and examples added to the 'Repeat study' section to clarify how funding eligibility works; on LLE standardised transcripts; and the list of regulatory bodies that have mandatory work placements referred to in LLE legislation.
Will the LLE create a ‘new wave of interest in accelerated degrees’? This Wonkhe article thinks it might.
The Office for Students (OfS) and Advance HE are collaborating on research into how universities are using AI, including roundtable discussions (online and in-person) with institutions. While the work seems to be mainly focused on academic staff and students, it does also include ‘strategy, efficiency and operations’. On the subject of AI, we came across these DfE online training modules on using AI in education settings (they are focused on AI use in education, rather than operationally, and aimed at schools and colleges, but may be of interest to anyone thinking about AI in H E).
Franchising has had a lot of bad press but a Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) piece on Wonkhe looks at the OfS data and explains that the franchising picture is ‘much more specific’ with ‘huge variation’.
Wonkhe has had a think about the implications (or fallout) of new Home Office visa monitoring compliance scheme on the sector.
The House of Commons Treasury Committee has begun hearing oral evidence in its inquiry into student loans and the taxation of graduates and also published summaries of its public survey and other material. Wonkhe analyses the data and digs into the oral evidence here.
HESA’s graduate outcomes data is due to be published tomorrow (4 June).
ENGLAND
The OfS has published a new guide to how it can ‘support a higher education provider and what it should do if it is planning a merger, acquisition, change of ownership, or change of legal form’. Though the OfS does not approve mergers, it can ‘support on relevant areas to help providers plan their next steps’ It asks that providers tell the OfS ‘as soon as possible, which helps us understand the proposal, explain what information we need and advise providers on how to plan’. Notably, once a ‘governing body starts to contemplate pursuing a merger, acquisition, change of legal form or change of ownership, it should report this to the OfS within five working days of the discussion”.
The DfE has opened a consultation on the OfS fee charging model, which ‘focuses on how the fee system is designed and distributed across providers, rather than the level of the annual registration fee itself’. The DfE is holding webinars on 10 June and 18 June to look at its exploratory proposals and to provide an opportunity to ask questions. The consultation, which closes on 21 July, ‘does not propose any changes to the overall balance of funding between government and fee income’.
The OfS has published the results of independent research looking at sector perceptions of the regulator – 171 accountable officers responded to the research survey. Whilst almost all (96%) agreed ‘it is important to have a higher education regulator’, only just over a third (35%) of all 171 H E Provider respondents (and only 17% of universities) have a positive view of the regulator, and 32% of HEPs overall (50% of universities) have a negative view; only 27% of HEPs (and only 8% of universities) think the OfS is effective or very effective; only 44% of HEPs have confidence in the OfS as a regulator; and just 37% feel able to raise concerns or questions without fear of negative consequences.
The OfS has also published updates to its Key Performance Measures with some 2026 figures tracking its performance against the OfS 2025-2030 strategy.
HEPI has a blog asking ‘What do the English local elections tell us about higher education?’ looking at what the shifts towards both Reform and the Green Party could mean for policies impacting the sector.
HEPI has published a new report and accompanying article looking at ‘Demographic decline and predatory recruitment: The twin threats to English higher education into the 2040s’. The author indicates that when the 18-year old population declines rapidly from 2030 onwards, university income from this source will decline by nearly 20%. The report discusses the recent practice of higher-tariff institutions lowering their entry offers and reducing the pool of available applicants for lower-tariff institutions, envisioning that in the future this could allow ‘perfectly good universities – institutions that are doing an excellent job and adding real value for the students they recruit and the regions they serve’ to fail and for a ‘critical part’ of national infrastructure to be damaged. It concludes that policymakers have a choice – ‘to allow such an outcome by letting the market alone determine the future shape of higher education or to impose a limited curb on student recruitment by the institutions concerned’.
See the BUFDG section above for our new English H E Finance conference – a free, in-person event for finance staff at all levels/roles on 1 July. Don’t miss out on your place - sign up asap!
SCOTLAND
Some of the BUFDG team had a trip to Glasgow last week for a great day at the Scottish Universities Finance Conference, and early feedback shows that our delegates enjoyed it too with over 97% likely to come again next year. It was fantastic to see delegates from every one of the Scottish universities in attendance.
Ministers for the new Scottish Government have been appointed, including Màiri McAllan (who most recently served as Cabinet Secretary for Housing) as Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, and Ben Macpherson as Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education (a slight change from his previous role of Minister for Higher and Further Education).
Universal Partners has been launched by Universities Scotland, showcasing how Scotland’s universities collaborate ‘with organisations the length and breadth of Scotland to tackle the nation’s biggest challenges and to create opportunities that support people, places and businesses to thrive’, and encouraging people to find out more from their local university.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has published commentary on the fiscal situation facing the new Scottish Government. It repeats that the ‘fiscal outlook facing the Scottish Government is extremely challenging’ and ‘manifesto pledges could force spending cuts or increases to devolved taxes’ as Scottish Government funding is likely to fall in 2027-28.
WALES
A new Senedd research brief explains that Wales’ student finance arrangement is close to breaching the HM Treasury (HMT) controls that it must remain within in order for HMT to continue fully funding it. The brief concludes that this ‘will present a challenge for the new Welsh Government in meeting the excess should HMT concludes it has done so’ and the ‘new Welsh Government will need to make decisions about the long term plan for student finance’.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Queen’s University Belfast has won the WhatUni University of the Year Student Choice award as well as Students’ Union of the Year!
Connecting with Alan Milburn’s report on Young People and Work mentioned in the section on Sector updates above, the Northern Ireland Statics and Research Agency has published the latest statistics on young people not in education, employment of training (NEETs) in Northern Ireland.
TAX AND PAYROLL
It’s the BUFDG Tax Conference next week! It’s being held online this year, from 9-11 June and you can still book a place here. Sessions cover a range of topics from VAT, to tax reliefs, to social security, to international expansion, with plenty more besides - with a total of 39 sessions, you’re bound to find something useful if you’re a tax, international, or payroll geek fan (I think I’m allowed to say that, as an ex-tax geek/fan myself?).
HMRC have issued revised Mileage Allowance Payments for the 2026/27 tax year, to take into account increased prices due to the Iran conflict. The amount that can be reimbursed to employees for using their own car for business purposes has increased from 45p to 55p per mile for the first 10,000 miles. The additional rate of 25p per mile for over 10,000 miles remains unchanged. Company car reimbursement rates have also been amended.
PROCUREMENT
The Cabinet Office are creating lots of new self-service analytical tools on FTS to provide structured, accessible data. The first suite of data applications will be a group of enhanced search functions, including a dedicated register of available commercial tools, which will be known as ‘summarised search’.
We have an opportunity for two BUFDG members to be provided with early access to view the new data application. Find out more on the discussion boards here and then contact Ashley if you’re interested in representing the sector in this programme.
The Communities of Practise team are hosting a series of interesting meetings over the summer months. These will include sessions focusing on PA23 notices, sustainability and social value, amongst others. Find out more about the schedule, and secure your place here.
TEC is running another Energy Market Update webinar for the sector next Wednesday (10 June). It will include an update on the impacts from the latest developments in the US/Iran war, as well as a look at the more fundamental drivers behind current and potential market movements. The team will also provide an update on changes to non-commodity charge for the coming winter and beyond.
Members are invited to attend an upcoming webinar covering procurement support available via UKUPC for the Estates and Facilities categories. The event is being held in conjunction with the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE) and takes place on 11 June. Book your place here!
FINANCIAL REPORTING
If you missed the second workshop in our annual financial statements workshop series, the recording is now available to access, exploring lessons learned from the BUFDG Financial Information, Analysis and Trends (FIAT) exercise and key observations on financial reports from across the sector. A reminder that the recording of the first webinar on SORP impact and transition is also available, alongside a whole range of resources to support SORP implementation on the SORP Knowledge Hub.
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
DSIT has announced the next steps for the £500m fund for Local Innovation Partnerships, including the announcement that two projects led by the University of Liverpool are set to receive £23.7m of the £30m funding for the Liverpool City region.
The FT(£) reports that Ministers are planning to review the catapult network of innovation centres ‘amid concerns that some have failed to deliver on the goal of supporting regional economic growth and building national champions’.
Research England Executive Chair, Jessica Corner, has announced she will not be seeking another term and will step down in spring 2027. UKRI has started the process of finding her replacement.
The next Research Finance Forum takes place on 11 June, and will include an update on what the new Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP 2026) means for research finance teams, updates from BUFDG and the co-chairs on what’s been happening in the past few months, and a chance to connect with other BUFDG members working in similar roles and ask questions.
Innovate UK is encouraging those who would like to stay up to date on Horizon Europe funding opportunities, as well as relevant news and events aligned to your areas of interest, to sign up to receive updates from the UK Horizon Europe National Contact Point (NCP) team.
Following discussions at the May Innovate UK drop-in, an offline version of the new Project Impact Form which can be sent to PIs to gather information required to complete claims is now available. The next drop-in is scheduled for 9 June, you can register here and also find a recording from the May meeting and notes from previous discussions.
SUSTAINABILITY AND FUNDING
The National Wealth Fund and Lloyds Banking Group have announced a new financing initiative which will make up to £500m in lending available to support the retrofit and decarbonisation of UK university estates. It’s suggested that the loans will help modernise up to 300 university buildings. The National Wealth Fund is providing up to £350m of financial guarantees to enable the bank’s lending, which it says will allow Lloyds to offer longer-period loans and more flexible financing arrangements.
Wonkhe has an article from the University of Edinburgh’s Deputy Director for Social Responsibility and Sustainability explaining ‘why the long term health of the planet shouldn't be sacrificed to short term pressures’, and the role that the H E sector should play in helping solve the environmental polycrisis, rather than just focusing on carbon emissions.
PENSIONS
The latest BUFDG pensions newsletter is available, bringing together developments across the main schemes and wider regulatory landscape. This edition covers USS member communications on retirement flexibility and inflation protection, alongside major LGPS updates including the government’s Fit for the Future response and improved funding levels. It also includes the latest on TPS, where SCAPE changes may reduce employer contributions but we don’t know for certain, as well as updates on SAUL and NHSPS valuations, plus regulatory messaging from TPR on funding discipline and risks.
MISCELLANEOUS
KPMG is holding a webinar ‘How to build resilience in a volatile world’ on 11 June. It’s not H E specific, but will cover how to embed operational resilience across your business and ‘leave with practical tips on how to take an integrated, collective approach to resilience that allows you to navigate disruption with confidence’. Book your place here.
JOB OF THE FORTNIGHT
Our Job of the Fortnight this time around is one of our own! BUFDG is recruiting for an Accounting Specialist (0.4 FTE) to support the FRG, respond to member queries, and support the BUFDG team when accounting knowledge is required, as well as occasional liaison with other bodies in relation to accounting, and to lead on work for the sector’s Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP). We’re looking for a part-time, qualified accountant with excellent technical knowledge of higher education accounting as well as superb communications skills, and we’d love your application by 15th June. It’s not your typical accounting role for sure!
And for something else a bit different, the Scottish Funding Council is looking for new Board Members.
As usual, there are lots of other vacancies listed on the BUFDG jobs page.
