The vice chancellor of the University of Greater Manchester has been suspended amid “serious allegations”. Professor George Holmes, who has been at the helm of the university for two decades, was suspended along with two senior members of the academic staff. The institution, formerly known as the University of Bolton, initiated an independent investigation in response to recent allegations originating from Bolton.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) announced that the force is conducting its own investigations into “allegations of financial irregularities at the university”. This move comes in the wake of a review of allegations published in The Mill and a subsequent PwC report commissioned by the university’s Fraud Response Panel.
The university maintained that the suspensions were a “precautionary measure and do not imply any assumption of guilt.” The leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, informed MPs in March that both the police and the Office for Students (OfS) were probing “serious allegations” of racism, bullying, and financial misconduct at the university. These investigations were prompted by disclosures of “concerning practices” at the university received by Phil Brickell, the Labour MP for Bolton West, from whistleblowers.
In response to the situation, the university released a statement asserting that they took action upon learning of PwC’s findings from their investigation into the serious allegations. Dr. Greg Walker has been appointed as the acting vice-chancellor and interim accountable officer during the investigation. In December, the University of Bolton transitioned to the University of Greater Manchester after receiving approval from the OfS
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