Edinburgh Vice-Chancellor who has backed £140m of cuts admits he ‘doesn’t know’ his own salary

Edinburgh’s Vice-Chancellor, Sir Peter Mathieson, has admitted that he doesn’t know the “exact figure” of his annual salary, reported to be in the region of £400,000, despite backing over £140 million of cuts at the university.

Mathieson’s comments, which were made in front of a Scottish Parliament education committee, sparked outrage, as he continued to support redundancies and funding cuts at the Scottish university.

The Vice-Chancellor also refused to consider giving up perks he receives through his job, including a grace-and-favour home in the city, a driver, and the payment of his utility bills.

This comes as the university faces difficult decisions over spending cuts due to financial deficits which are hitting institutions nationwide.

The University of Edinburgh announced in February that it was seeking to reduce its spending by £140 million. £90 million of those cuts, the university announced, would come from cuts to staffing costs

The Office for Students has warned that it will have to begin forcing closures and making staff cuts, as 4 in 10 universities face financial deficits – the University of Edinburgh being among these universities.

To combat this deficit, the University of Edinburgh announced in February that it was seeking to reduce its spending by £140 million. £90 million of those cuts, the university announced, would come from cuts to staffing costs.

The university has employed a voluntary redundancy tactic, aiming to cut staff who wish to leave the institution.

However, Mathieson has warned that this would not be enough to balance the university’s finances.

The Vice-Chancellor told the committee: “The only way to put the University of Edinburgh back onto a sustainable footing is to reduce our recurrent expenditure, and 58% of our recurring expenditure is on staff,”

I’d have to get my P60 out to show it to you, and as I say I don’t carry that figure around in my head

Sir Peter Mathieson, Edinburgh Vice-Chancellor

As the reportedly highest-paid university principal in Scotland, Mathieson has come under fire for not making financial cuts to his lifestyle, while making major changes to the university’s finances.

Mathieson admitted to the committee that he accepted a 5% pay rise last year, and a further 2.5% pay rise in January.

However, despite confirming that he had received a pay raise, he was not able to confirm his exact salary, instead telling the chair of the committee, Douglas Ross: “I’d have to get my P60 out to show it to you, and as I say I don’t carry that figure around in my head.”

The University of Edinburgh’s accounts show that Mathieson was paid a £362,000 salary in 2024 alongside a further £40,000 into his pension scheme. Including additional benefits, this brought the Vice-Chancellor’s total pay package to around £422,000.

Sir Peter [Mathieson] and his executive team plan to cut many hundreds, and possibly more than a thousand, jobs at the university, but he seems reluctant to examine any other options to help balance the books

Douglas Ross, Education, Children, and Young People Committee Chair

Mathieson also said that the possibility of selling his university-owned five-bedroom residence which he occupies, without paying rent, was not on the table. The Times reported that £43,966 was spent in 2023 to maintain his home.

He went on to say that axing perks, such as a driver and payment of his utility bills, was “not up to me” and that any proceeds from giving up the benefits would make only a “tiny contribution to what is a massive challenge”.

Douglas Ross, chairing the committee meeting, added: “Sir Peter [Mathieson] and his executive team plan to cut many hundreds, and possibly more than a thousand, jobs at the university, but he seems reluctant to examine any other options to help balance the books.”

Staff at the university took part in a one-day strike on 20 June in their dispute over the budget cuts, with a further five-day walk out scheduled for September.