A SCOTTISH university’s chancellor spent more than £40,000 on travel and swanky hotels in less than a year amid a funding crisis.
Peter Mathieson, the vice-principal and chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, took business-class flights to destinations including Hong Kong, New York and Milan.
A freedom of information request found that the principal spent a total of £31,861 on flights in only eight months between October 2023 and June 2024, with more than 90% of the booking fees being spent on business-class tickets.
These fees include short-haul flights from Edinburgh to London City Airport (£92), Dublin (£129) and Brussels (£240) as well as long-haul trips to Newark (£4633), Hong Kong (£4900) and Icheon (£5155), and trips between foreign destinations like Newark to Washington (£1771) and Icheon to Milano Malpensa (£3663).
This comes amid controversy after the university announced plans to slash spending over a £140 million “funding black hole” was made apparent.
Staff are currently being offered voluntary redundancy schemes, but Mathieson said that compulsory lay-offs may need to be implemented.
Amid the financial turmoil, Mathieson was awarded a “near £20,000 pay rise” thanks to a pension supplement and base pay rate increase, taking his total package to £418,000 and making him the highest-paid vice-chancellor in Scotland.
He has also come under fire for using university funds to cover the costs of his multi-million-pound Regent Terrace mansion and financing five-star hotels, business class cross-continent flights and private chauffeurs.
A University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: “In common with most other universities, accommodation for the university’s principal and their immediate family is provided as part of the role.
“The principal’s residence is not used solely as a family home but also as a venue for hosting formal university events, and as such, the institution covers fuel costs and costs for maintaining the building.”
Of the 24 total flights, 11 were flown in economy class with the longest journey being Edinburgh to Zurich and the shortest being Dublin to Glasgow. For the remaining 13 business-class flights, the longest was Edinburgh to Hong Kong and the shortest was London Heathrow to Brussels.
Much of his spending was a result of hotel fees on business trips. He spent five nights in Hong Kong at a cost of £1301 to attend a Universitas 21 Presidential Symposium to discuss “how universities can adapt to the changing needs of society and provide students with the tools they need to succeed in our increasingly digital world”.
He attended the Research Security Conference in Texas, costing the university £800 for five nights for the principal to attend the conference aimed at fostering “community and collaboration among university research security professionals” and learn about “safeguarding the integrity of academic research and addressing emerging threats, including foreign influence”.
The fees also include £349 for two nights of accommodation in Valencia while the principal attended meetings and events related to the University of Edinburgh’s partnership with the Ecuadorian Universidad San Francisco de Quito and the British-Ecuadorian Chamber of Commerce.
Jo Grady, the general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said that the university should “use the billions of pounds the university boasts in wealth to protect jobs”, suggesting that the university should sell some of its assets, worth an estimated £3.1 billion, to fund the gap rather than cutting spending.
“The principal is responsible for the overall operation of the university and as such represents the university at strategically significant meetings and events worldwide.
“International travel is an essential part of the principal’s role, which includes hosting fundraising opportunities, developing and maintaining global partnerships, and supporting our alumni community and network of international offices. All flights and travel are arranged in line with relevant university policies.”
The former principal of Dundee University, Professor Iain Gillespie, had faced criticism over his travel expenditure ahead of his decision to resign with immediate effect.
Criticism had grown after it was found he had charged the university for around £7000 as part of a business trip to Hong Kong, where his flights were cheaper than Mathieson’s at £4723. His colleagues were able to fly on a cheaper rate of £1067.
The Scotsman found that Gillespie had spent £131,000 on travel over three years, meaning that he averaged around £43,000 per year, in line with Mathieson’s expenditure in eight months.
Students have previously raised issues with Mathieson’s finances and leadership, with a motion called by the Edinburgh University Students Association (EUSA) receiving a 95% vote in favour of his resignation after criticism was made of the “disgustingly high” salaries of the university’s leadership.
The UCU has also launched a number of strike action protests over the past three years relating to contract disputes, budget cuts and staff pay. Members recently voted in a consultative ballot on whether or not industrial action could take place if the university continues with its plans to cut £140m from the spending bill and does not remove compulsory dismissals as an option.
The union saw 75% of voting members say they are willing to strike, with 85% indicating they could take less intense actions like working to contract and refusing to cover for absent colleagues.
In a previous statement, Grady said: “Edinburgh University management need to listen to their staff. The consultative ballot results show a clear willingness to take action against cuts and to defend jobs.
“Instead of pressing on with plans to make the biggest cuts ever seen in Scottish higher education, Peter Mathieson needs to work with UCU, use the university’s reserves and rule out compulsory redundancies.”
