The vice-chancellor of the University of Greater Manchester and two other members of staff have been suspended as police confirmed an investigation is under way into “allegations of financial irregularities”.
The university, which was known until recently as the University of Bolton, confirmed that Prof George Holmes, who has been its vice-chancellor for 20 years, the provost and a third senior member of academic staff have been suspended.
“These suspensions are a precautionary measure and do not imply any assumption of guilt,” a statement from the university said. “The university has taken this step to ensure a fair and transparent process.”
The university, which has nearly 11,000 students, gave no further details. A police spokesperson said: “Greater Manchester police can confirm an investigation has been launched into allegations of financial irregularities at the University of Greater Manchester.
“This follows a review of allegations published in The Mill [an independent news site] and subsequent PricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC) report commissioned by the university’s fraud response panel.”
An interim leadership team has been put in place, led by Dr Greg Walker, pro vice chancellor (academic) who assumes the role of acting vice-chancellor and interim accountable officer while the investigation is under way.
In an email to staff, the chair of the university board, Prof William Morris, said: “These suspensions are a neutral step, taken to protect the integrity of the process and to allow a full and fair process to take place.
“As this is a live investigation, we are limited in what we can share at this stage, but we are committed to keeping you informed appropriately and transparently.
“We understand this news may be concerning. Please be assured that the university’s core functions and academic activities will continue without disruption.”
In March, Lucy Powell, the leader of the House of Commons, told MPs that police and the higher education regulator for England, the Office for Students, were looking into allegations at the university.
Phil Brickell, the Labour MP for Bolton West, asked Powell to give MPs time to debate allegations that had emerged from whistleblowers and detailed reporting by The Mill, claiming racism, financial misconduct and bullying at the university.
Brickell said on Tuesday: “We need to let the investigation run its course. I will continue to monitor developments closely and engage with the university and relevant authorities in order to ensure the university best serves its students, staff, the people of Bolton and it’s surrounding communities.”