“I actually work for the University of Gloucestershire at the London Campus. We were all told about the closure in July, just before going on holidays - nice timing!
The campus redevelopment has was likely to be planned about 4 or 5 years ago when higher education was in a happier state and expanding beyond belief. Due to problems the opening of the campus was delayed by nearly a year, by which time funding had been cut and Gloucestershire management lost interest in starting new courses in management, ESOL, etc.
Up until July staff in London have been working hard to promote the campus and facilities. It's not just Gloucestershire students that use us, we received large payments from partner universities and colleges to stay on the campus and use our facilities while gaining valuable experience in inner city schools. We have also had groups of research students using the campus for lectures, etc.
It is NOT the campus staff who are to blame, it is Gloucestershire management losing interest in us and deciding they can¿t be bothered to manage a campus which is 100 miles away.
This isn¿t just an end of a University of Gloucestershire campus though. This is an end of an era. The campus started life as the Urban Learning Foundation over 20 years ago providing inner city teaching experience for students. Having been jointly owned by 5 institutions at one point, it was purchased outright by Gloucestershire about 5 or 6 years ago. The whole ethos will be lost and potential students will have to fight with the masses at UEL or other London Universities, who don¿t provide the dedicated service which we offer.
Pittville staff and students may be annoyed and frustrated because their campus is due for closure. However, they will all be moved to another campus and courses will continue and the staff should keep their jobs, unless they are part of the on-going redundancy programme, which each and every university in the country is also doing. ALL staff at London will be offered posts in Gloucestershire, but let¿s face it, how many of us can realistically accept a job there. WE have all got to find alternative employment and so far we don¿t even know what our redundancy package is, simply because they can¿t be bothered.
One last word ¿ Gloucestershire is NOT the only university in the country which is in financial difficulties. It just so happens that it¿s been made public. Look around and you¿ll find plenty more, they¿re just keeping it quiet. Many others are in a worse financial state than us, I can assure you.”

“In a good way you ¿John Chelt¿ ¿Me¿ and ¿In the know¿ has Alerted our process of thinking over this whole matter. But first I think we need to thank The ¿Citizen¿ and the ¿Echo¿ for giving we the readership that opportunity to express respectable views on the governance of our nation. I hear you both cry out none of this concerns public funds. Personally I would doubt that response because in institution which possesses a foothold in our economy such as education (and there are many more) are not open to proper terms of accountancy and so waste and cover up creeps in. We have seen Whitehall selling off large chunks of state owned armament corporations with ministers and civil servants pocketing millions of state cash. More than the taxpayer got in the sale price. I will not go further than state if these three individuals know something that should be in the public domains then spit it out or forever keep silent. This nation has already been brought to its knees by people feathering their own nests through state funded institutions and taxpayer money. You and anyone with proper knowledge do a disservice to our nation by aiding a cover up such people who are involved in any such activities. If it exists in to the open and have it dealt with.”

“ME gloucs, sorry you're wrong. This is because of catastrophic mis-management by the university itself. I work there, I know. No point blaming the government (easy option) - the blame lies squarely with the inept management of the university. The same management that made many staff redundant months ago, but continued wasting money on daft schemes. I wish people would look beyond blaming the government for everything, especialy when they don't know the facts. There'll be more to come out of the whole mismanagement at the uni soon I'm sure. It's a disgrace the way the place has been run.”

“Presumably this has something to do with the Governments completely wrong deliberations regarding future funding for universities. hey, still, never mind, they've ruined the rest of the country so why not universities as well. Welcome to the real world.”

“It is not the tax payer that paid - it is the Uni and soon it will be a lot of uni employees paying with their jobs. Universities are not run by the government - they are run by the university directorate and in this case I am afraid they have done and are doing a bad job.”

“Wow. This is news to me and I suspect countless other taxpayers as well. What were Gloucester University doing operating out of London in the to begin with Now we are expecting to see this being sold on to some private sector institution who are friends with some government minister at a whacking write down. Our loss Again. Whose name sanctioned these decisions and what name approved these payments. And worst of all no money could be found for Ullenwood Star College. I am blazing Angry. We want Answers and incredibly fast or someone going to lose their drawers.”

“This is totally ridiculous !
What is going on, when the tax payer is spending 8.3 million pounds on a building which is now deemed to be useless.
Who is responsible for this error and why does it seem that they will get away with it ?
8.3 million pounds, that could have been used elsewhere has been squandered.
BNP, its the only answer !”