UK Universities Face Scrutiny Over Rising Diversity Staff Costs Amid Financial Struggles

[Social Media]

 

British universities have doubled their spending on equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) roles in just three years, now collectively spending £28 million annually on these positions. Critics argue that such investments are wasteful, particularly as the higher education sector faces a growing financial crisis.  

 

A new study by the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA) found that between 2022 and 2024, the average university's spending on EDI staff increased by 125 percent, rising from £75,000 per institution to £168,000. The number of EDI employees also grew by 20 percent, with universities now employing an estimated 1,000 diversity staff members across the sector.  

 

 

The University of Oxford tops the list, employing 59 EDI staff in 2023-24 at a cost of £2.5 million, not including pensions and benefits. Oxford Brookes University followed, spending £1.3 million, while Edge Hill University in Lancashire allocated £1.2 million. The University for the Creative Arts in Farnham spent £1 million. Despite this surge in spending, 19 universities reported that they had not hired any EDI personnel over the three-year period.  

 

 

Some of the highest-paid diversity officers earn more than senior academic staff. Coventry University’s “EDI strategic lead” receives a salary between £83,872 and £119,274 pro rata, while the University of Warwick’s social inclusion director earns between £71,900 and £123,900. The University of Portsmouth’s director of student racial equity is paid £89,432.  

 

The debate over EDI spending has intensified as universities across the country make staff redundancies and cut academic programs due to budget shortfalls. The Office for Students recently warned that 72 percent of universities could be running at a deficit by 2025-26. Despite this, institutions continue to invest heavily in diversity initiatives.  

 

A broader examination of the public sector suggests that EDI spending is widespread. A 2022 report by the Conservative Way Forward think tank estimated that 10,000 EDI roles exist across public institutions, costing taxpayers £427 million per year. The TPA’s latest findings indicate that more than a tenth of those positions are in higher education.  

 

Criticism of university EDI initiatives has also been directed at the ideological content promoted in training materials and policies. The University of Edinburgh’s guide to microaggressions likens them to “mosquito bites” and lists statements such as “your colour doesn’t matter to me, everyone’s human” as problematic. Imperial College London provides guidance on being a “white ally,” instructing students to recognize their “white privilege.”

 

Hull University has expanded its diversity policies beyond legal requirements, including protections for gender identity not covered by the Equality Act 2010.  

 

Concerns about the impact of EDI policies on free speech and academic freedom have been raised by scholars such as Professor John Marenbon, a fellow of the British Academy. He argued that universities are being “destroyed from within” as faculty members police each other’s views, fostering an atmosphere of conformity where those who question diversity initiatives face career repercussions.  

 

Joanna Marchong, an investigations campaign manager at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, condemned the rising costs, stating, “Taxpayers are starting to see just how deeply the public sector is plagued by costly EDI roles. These positions are draining millions from hardworking Brits despite clear evidence of their ineffectiveness, and their numbers keep growing. Public bodies must get their priorities straight and stop wasting money on expensive, pointless non-jobs.”  

 

However, university officials have defended their diversity programs. A spokesperson for the University for the Creative Arts noted that over half of their 30 EDI staff work as inclusion assistants, supporting disabled and neurodiverse students. Professor Duncan Ivison, vice-chancellor at the University of Manchester, stated, “Our EDI roles help make our university operate more fairly for everyone. There are still significant attainment gaps between different groups of students that we need to close, and we want our academic and professional staff workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. Inclusive universities do better research and teach more effectively. It’s a crucial element of genuine academic excellence.”  

 

The University of Edinburgh echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing its commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive culture. “Our investment in equality, diversity, and inclusion enables us to provide an environment where our staff, students, and graduates can meet their full potential and are treated with dignity and respect,” a spokesperson said. The University of Warwick reaffirmed its social inclusion strategy, which aims to achieve a diverse workforce by 2030 and remove barriers to success.  

 

As universities continue to grapple with financial pressures, the growing expenditure on EDI staff remains a divisive issue, with some arguing that the investment enhances academic institutions, while others see it as an unnecessary burden on taxpayers and a distraction from core educational priorities.

 

 

Based on a report by The Times  2025-02-18

 

 

[blazes]

Taxpayer money being poured down the drain for purposes a million miles away from a university's proper function of producing well-educated graduates  - well-educated as in brains free of suffocating ideological nonsense.

 

The deafening silence of academics is shameful as they consent to work within a system that strongly resembles the old Soviet Union.

[soalbundy]

Sack the lot of them.

[Red Forever]

The moment I saw “Taxpayers Alliance” as the source of this drivel I knew what was coming.

The T.A. along with other shadowy far right groups such as “Aims to Industry” and “European Research Group” operate out of 55 Tufton St, SW1.

They all refuse to expose just who funds their far right agenda which is ultimately the dismantling of Democracy.

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, Red Forever said:

The moment I saw “Taxpayers Alliance” as the source of this drivel I knew what was coming.

The T.A. along with other shadowy far right groups such as “Aims to Industry” and “European Research Group” operate out of 55 Tufton St, SW1.

They all refuse to expose just who funds their far right agenda which is ultimately the dismantling of Democracy.

So there's not   "59 EDI staff in 2023-24 at a costing of £2.5 million". Its all made up?

[JonnyF]

36 minutes ago, Red Forever said:

The moment I saw “Taxpayers Alliance” as the source of this drivel I knew what was coming.

The T.A. along with other shadowy far right groups such as “Aims to Industry” and “European Research Group” operate out of 55 Tufton St, SW1.

They all refuse to expose just who funds their far right agenda which is ultimately the dismantling of Democracy.

 

Attack the source rather than address the issue.

 

The classic leftist tactic. 

[klauskunkel]

6 hours ago, Social Media said:

equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI)

anyone diverting from this ideology is equally excluded

[WDSmart]

I don't know the details about all this, but no one uses DEI to employ MORE people. DEI is only used as one of the factors considered when hiring replacement staff or additional people that presumably are needed.

[Purdey]

9 hours ago, Social Media said:

The University of Oxford tops the list, employing 59 EDI staff in 2023-24

Which party was in government from 2023-2024?

I suspect people have forgotten.