Staff at the University of Essex have delivered an overwhelming vote of no confidence in vice-chancellor Frances Bowen, unions reveal today.
Professor Bowen was appointed in August 2025. By December, she’d unveiled plans to slash 400 staff and close down the entire campus at Southend in an effort to stabilise finances.
But staff say the cuts are counter-productive and will cause student numbers to drop further, deepening the financial crisis at Essex.
Prof Bowen’s business case to shut down Southend couldn’t even fill a single side of A4, say campus unions UNISON, UCU and Unite.
Unions say the university has taken a shambolic approach to the consultation on job losses. Some staff have mistakenly been told they’re at risk of redundancy, while the approach taken has been inconsistent across different departments.
Members of all three unions met this week and voted 97% in favour of a motion of no confidence in the vice-chancellor for her handling of the crisis.
They are calling for Prof Bowen to apologise and resign and for a new leadership team to scrap the redundancy process and reopen the consultation, following best practice guidelines.
Staff also want the university to halt the closure of the Southend campus and fully disclose the financial decisions behind the shutdown to Southend Council and investors.
Southend MPs Bayo Alaba and David Burton-Sampson joined unions reps in Westminster yesterday to present the results of the vote to education minister Jacqui Smith.
UNISON University of Essex branch co-chair Riley Iles said: “Frances Bowen’s appointment was supposed to represent new hope for the university, but instead every step of the so-called consultation has been a shambles.
“Any other member of staff making the mistakes she and her executive team have made would have been put through capability proceedings and probably been sacked months ago.
“Staff have delivered an incredibly clear message: they are hurt, angry and not willing to take this lying down.
“This should be a wakeup call for the vice-chancellor and executive. Staff will keep fighting until the bitter end to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Essex UCU co-chair Jordan Osserman said: “This overwhelming vote of no confidence must be a fresh start for the University of Essex.
“The whole cuts process has been marred by ineptitude and failure, with no accountability, from those earning sky-high salaries at the top.
“We refuse to pay the price for their mismanagement. Staff and students now need new leadership who will work with us and the local community to save Southend and protect jobs, courses, and the university’s reputation for academic excellence.”
