'Closure of UCA Rochester would be a devasting loss for the arts in Medway' say Liberal Democrats

Medway Liberal Democrats are disappointed at the news that the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) has announced plans to close its campus in Rochester in September 2023.

Closing UCA Rochester would be a tragedy for the creative arts locally and would reduce the local provision of teaching facilities. We urge UCA pursue every avenue to find a positive and viable solution to allow the campus to continue in Rochester, for students, staff and for the Medway Towns.

Alan Wells, local Liberal Democrat campaigner said "There isn't another school out there locally that meets UCA's quality and level of study.It will be devastating for the Medway community to lose this historical beacon of design and arts. It would leave a huge gap for both employers and students. Losing a thousand students and over a hundred employed staff will have economic and cultural consequences, just at the time when the area is pursuing its 'City of Culture' bid, and recovering from the economic effects of Covid."

The news follows the Government announcement of a 50% funding cut to arts subjects at universities, which could come into effect from this autumn. A consultation by the Office for Students (OfS) proposes cuts from £36m to £19m.

Alan Wells added "Liberal Democrats want to stress that students studying design and the creative arts have the highest proportion of any broad subject group to have a reported disability. Ensuring that everyone has access to higher education must be a priority so that they can go onto access careers.

Anything that keeps us engaged with art has got to be a good thing. Colleges should be opening up not closing down."

ENDS