SCORES of jobs hang in the balance as part of “rushed and dangerous” cuts at a Hampshire university.

Lecturers at the University of Southampton have been told it needs to run “more efficiently and effectively” with up to 75 members of staff at risk through a voluntary severance scheme.

Alongside this, the university will reduce the number of faculties from eight to five as part of a 10-year plan announced yesterday by vice-chancellor Sir Christopher Snowden.

According to the University and College Union (UCU), the university has identified six subject areas in which it will cut jobs: music, English, law, chemistry, tribology – the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion – and social sciences, although the university has yet to confirm this to the Daily Echo.

UCU regional official Moray McAulay said: “These plans look rushed and dangerous. You cannot deliver world-leading education by cutting staff.

“Students cite lecturers as the key factor when it comes to teaching excellence, so the university is unlikely to improve its teaching ranking by cutting staff.

“We will be meeting to discuss our official response to the university’s plans, but nothing has been ruled out at this stage.”

A university spokesperson said: “The move, which was outlined to staff and students on Monday, will combine subject areas into more coherent groupings, allowing the university to run more efficiently and effectively, while further strengthening research and interdisciplinary activity. It will also create one of the largest single engineering faculties in the UK.

“Separately, the university also announced plans to reduce its academic headcount by 50 to 75 posts through targeted voluntary severance schemes in six specific academic areas.

“These are not redundancies; what was outlined on Monday was a target of 50 to 75 posts which the university hopes to achieve through a voluntary severance scheme.

“None of these proposals have been hurried as the savings the university wishes to achieve were identified 12 months ago as part of a targeted plan of reshaping for the future.”

In a speech at the university yesterday, vice chancellor Sir Christopher Snowden added: “The current eight faculties do not play to the university’s strength, and that inter-disciplinary faculty needs to be encouraged.”

He added that there would be no disruption to current courses.

It comes months after it was reported that staff at Southampton Solent University have been told the institution needs to make “significant” savings over the next two years, with a voluntary severance scheme already rolled out.

Southampton Solent’s ‘chief people officer’ Andrea Thompson said yesterday: “Over the last year, in response to the changes and challenges facing the higher education sector, and in line with other institutions, Southampton Solent University has been completing restructuring work to ensure it can continue to deliver its strategic priorities effectively.

“This process is due to be completed by December 2018.”