Statement from AUDE's Chair Craig Nowell (University of Exeter) on the current HESA consultation on the statutory collection and use of estates data

HESA statutory collection and use of data has been crucial to the successful running of the UK HEI sector for many years and unequivocally remains so.  

Proposals for change have been initiated by the Office for Students and would mean that from 2019/20 the collection of EMR data is a statutory requirement in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland only.

Notwithstanding a consultation period on the proposed change is being run by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE) consider the timing and duration of the consultation, overlapping with the AUDE annual conference and the Easter Period, is unhelpful if the sector is to provide a representative and considered response. Today's short extension to the process by HESA does not change that position: we suggest an extension to Monday 3rd June would give institutions a genuine opportunity to respond.

The current mandatory data remains immensely valuable to the sector. AUDE annually analyses and reflects on the data to publish the Estates Management Report (EMR) – a tool Directors of Estates consider the best in the toolbox. It is vital for detailed benchmarking with similar institutions based on verified data; making informed investment decisions at executive and governor level; estates strategy development; and a number of AUDE’s toolkits including the sector-leading Sustainability Leadership Scorecard. It would be extraordinary for the sector to dump an investment that promotes robust decision making and sustainability during a week we are seeing national sustainability-related demonstrations.

Unless collected via a consistent and verified process, data risks decaying at an annual rate inconsistent with good governance, and the proposal to discard our “information advantage” for no visible benefit concerns us deeply. For all these reasons AUDE calls on HESA to pause the consultation, establish a more workable timeline, and engage meaningfully with AUDE and other stakeholders. Once this new workable timeline is established the AUDE membership can engage with the consultation and represent their individual institution on this vital issue.

The suggestion that somehow this decision is far removed from the primary concern of “student experience” is a flawed one. Estates spend is the second biggest element of overall university cost, after staff costs: in practice, quality of teaching and quality of the estate are closely entwined. Students tell us that estates and facilities quality are “top five issues” for them.

Craig Nowell

AUDE Chair

Director of Campus Infrastructure and Operational Support Services – University of Exeter