At a Glance:
- Statement on the closure of the University of Essex Southend Campus
- Highlights impact on local education, jobs and community spaces
- Calls for government action and proper funding
- Emphasis on the need for long-term investment in young people
The University of Essex has announced that it will close its Southend campus next year. This is deeply disappointing for our city.
For years, universities have been pushed to operate more like businesses and rely heavily on income from overseas students. When the government tightens the rules on international students, places like Southend pay the price.
A major local campus will now close, courses will move out of the city, and important community spaces like the library and theatre school will be left in uncertainty. Southend loses learning, jobs and life from its centre. Our young people lose chances on their doorstep.
Tricia Cowdrey, Children, Learning and SEND spokesperson for South East Essex Green Party said:
“Southend deserves a thriving university. This closure shows what happens when education is treated like a business instead of a public good. We need long term investment in our city and in our young people, not another loss to short term thinking.”
The Green Party are calling for Southend’s MPs to act and push the government for proper funding for Further and Higher Education.