The University of Bradford has assured staff it has no plans for compulsory redundancies following a reduction in funding.

The Higher Education Funding Council has today announced the university will receive a grant of £39,723,000, for the year 2010/11 – a 0.6 per cent reduction on last year.

The university said it had planned for the cuts and expected to make savings through voluntary redundancies and natural wastage.

University vice-chancellor Professor Mark Cleary, said: “These cuts are nearer to the disappointing end of our scenario planning.

“The university has no plans at this stage to make any compulsory staff reductions. We will be making savings through natural means.”

The HEFCE has said changes in allocations to universities depended on factors including the increased concentration of funding to universities with the highest quality research, funding for additional student places, a reduction in targeted allocations which have formed part of teaching grants and the withdrawal of moderation funding.

Prof Cleary said: “The university will continue to seek and generate new income streams and will be exercising effective cost management. We also constantly review and refresh our course portfolio to ensure they are sustainable. We also plan to continue with our investment programme.”

Meanwhile, Bradford College has had its funding frozen for next year at £8,037,000.

College principal Michele Sutton said: “Like every other higher education institution we have a reduction of the anticipated increase in funding of 1.36 per cent which is due to the reduction in grant received by the Higher Education Funding Council.

“This will enable us to maintain our level of higher education programmes although of course we are disappointed that Government policy will not allow us to grow.”

HEFCE chief executive Sir Alan Langlands said: “In these testing times we have done all we can to maximise the flexibility that universities and college have to meet their priorities.

“We have done this by protecting core funding and concentrating on what really matters: high quality learning and teaching.”