University of York campus sell-off (From York Press)

University of York campus sell-off

9:41am Friday 3rd September 2010 in

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THE University of York smugly announced that it has sold its new Goodricke College at Heslington East for a reputed eight-figure sum (The Press, August 19) saying that it will now have additional funds to develop its estate.

Well that’s good: a clear £10 million, if not £99 million, to play with. Now, this is interesting news, as earlier in the same week as this announcement (The Press, August 13) the university had been pleading poverty to the council for not having replaced its sports tent in the five years for which it had received planning permission for this temporary structure.

I cannot believe that the university was unaware of its massive property bonanza at the time of the planning committee meeting. Clearly, the university plays the council for a fool over these planning matters, abusing its position as an educator for planning gain.

Only recently, the council acceded to the university to provide another £1 million towards the cost of a swimming pool at Heslington East (The Press, 7 July), this being on top of the £2 million of York tax-payers’ money which has already been promised to the university from the sale of the destroyed Barbican pools.

In view of the sale of Goodricke College, I suggest it hands back the additional £1 million promised to complete its swimming pool and finds the money out of its own burgeoning budget. The council is going to need every penny it has in order to stem the cuts in jobs and services coming our way.

Dave Taylor, Green Party councillor for Fishergate, York