Rosemary Martin, Chair of Council

I am pleased to provide you with this update following the meeting of Council on 18 July 2025. Council is the University’s governing body and has responsibility for the approval of the University’s strategy, and for ensuring that the University meets its legal and regulatory duties, including those deriving from our own Charter and Statutes. Council also appoints the Vice-Chancellor and monitors the University’s (and its own) effectiveness and performance.

University finances
One of Council’s chief responsibilities is the approval of the University budget, which is always discussed at the final Council meeting of the academic year. Last week Council approved the proposed deficit budget for 2025/26, as well as the 2025/26 Annual Capital Plan for 2025/26, which focuses only on projects that are essential and/or are already in-flight. Like most of the university sector, Sussex faces very significant financial challenges, particularly considering the fall in student numbers that we have experienced, the ongoing inflationary pressures, and long-term home undergraduate fee freeze. Council was also updated on the 2025/26 recruitment and admissions picture, which remains concerning, but will be clearer by the early autumn.

Tuition fees and accommodation
Council also approved the tuition fee framework and accommodation fees for 2026/27, and following concerns raised by the Students Union, asked for a report on Norwich House, to decide on proposed fees for this accommodation block. Whilst it is disappointing that some students have not had the housing experience we would wish, the University’s 2025 NSS results suggest that, on the whole, Sussex students’ experience is continuing to improve. The University can be very pleased with improvements in every NSS theme and every question this year, as well as sustained improvements since 2022. We are now ranked 6th in the UK for ‘Organisation and Management’ (up from 12th in 2024), which is a great achievement.

Sussex 2035: Creating Progressive Futures – flourishing, sustainability and progress for the whole world
Last week Council also approved some minor changes to Sussex 2035 ahead of its launch in the autumn. We also noted the first Strategic Plan of Sussex 2035, the Recovery and Rebuilding Strategic Plan (2025-28), and approved the ‘success indicators’ by which we will monitor the progress of Sussex 2035 and the first strategic plan. Sussex 2035 is our long-term strategy to address the challenges faced both by the University and the wider world, and Council regards the three transformational themes of environmental sustainability, human flourishing, and digital and data futures as ambitious, inspiring and distinctive.

Socially Responsible Investment Policy
As I have reported before, a Council group has been established to review the University’s Socially Responsible Investment Policy. Originally it was expected that a new policy would be approved at last week’s meeting but, because of the desire for comprehensive consultation with interested members of the community, approval has been delayed until the autumn. Council received a detailed update from the group, a draft of the policy, and the assurance from several Council members who are on the review group that the consultation has been thorough and detailed.

Governance: policy work and an effectiveness review
Council was updated on the ongoing policy review work which aims to create a much smaller, more manageable set of up-to-date and clearly written University policies. Reducing the number of policies, and simplifying policies where it makes sense to do so, should make daily life easier for staff, and should make the University more agile and eliminate unnecessary regulatory risk.

Finally, as one of Council’s obligations is to monitor our own effectiveness we have commissioned a ‘light-touch’ review of how we operate (‘light-touch’ because a more substantial review of Council was conducted in 2021). I report this to assure members of the community that in the face of the challenges Sussex faces Council is mindful that we need to reflect on how we operate to ensure that we meet the expectations upon us, and that we properly serve our purpose and the University.

It has been a long, and sometimes difficult, 12 months for Sussex. It is, for instance, never easy seeing colleagues depart, as many are doing because of the Voluntary Leavers Scheme. So, I would like to finish by thanking everyone for their hard work and dedication over the past year. I hope that you all have the opportunity for a good break before the new academic year, and I would like to express my gratitude in advance to the many University staff who will be involved in ensuring the best possible outcomes in Clearing. Your efforts are appreciated by every Council member.  

Rosemary Martin
Chair of Council