Warwick’s Stuart Croft claims £643 in 24 hours for private car trips to London

Warwick Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft claimed over £600 in 24 hours for the hiring of private cars to London, according to information released by The Times.

An investigation by the paper on travel expenses from Russell Group vice-chancellors found that almost £1 million had been spent collectively on trips abroad and car hires in the last three years. 

This is despite warnings by these universities over shortages of money at their institutions. 

Vice-chancellors leading [Russell Group] institutions have warned that finances for higher education are extremely poor

The Russell Group consists of 24 research-intensive UK universities, including some of the country’s most prestigious institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge. The vice-chancellors leading these institutions have warned that finances for higher education are extremely poor, even with a looming rise in tuition fees in the autumn. 

Despite this, in 2023/24, the average pay for Russell Group university heads was £405,000, with the average vice-chancellor claiming a further £4,300 on expenses, and spending £20,600 on international travel. 

The Times analysis found that Warwick’s own Stuart Croft claimed £643 in March of last year for private car hire to London. 

A spokesperson for the University told The Boar that this money was for multiple trips to Heathrow airport, when staff illness caused plans to change.

The amount  stated was not for taxis around London but for multiple car journeys to and from Heathrow airport

University spokesperson

They said: “We would like to issue a correction for clarity. The amount stated was not for taxis around London but for multiple car journeys to and from Heathrow airport after sudden staff sickness meant travel plans had to change at short notice.” 

When Croft was announced as Vice-Chancellor in 2016, his starting salary was £280,000. This has risen to £339,000 as of 2024, which, when combined with additional payments, and benefits from the University including a house and a car, took his income for 2024 to £384,000. 

The Russell Group have justified the reimbursements to their vice-chancellors by clarifying that their universities are global institutions. Therefore, vice-chancellors must engage with businesses, research partners, and governments around the world to grow their networks and boost the UK’s research links.  

The spending does however come at a time of financial instability for UK universities. More than 80 institutions have announced staff redundancies, course closures, or restructuring, according to the University and College Union (UCU). 

In November, the Office for Students (OfS) forecast that 72% of England’s universities could be in budget deficits by the end of 2025.