Can A University Rescue A City When The Local Authority Fails?

Thanks to sour grapes and biased arguments from scholars at the University of Oxford, King Henry III dissolved Northampton’s university in 1265. After a hiatus of 740 years, the university was reinstated and located in an amalgamation of structures on the outskirts of town. During the next month, however, the university will once again be reborn, this time on a 58-acre site adjacent to the River Nene, a brief walk through a tree-filled park to Northampton’s town center.

Given that the county is currently reacting to the aftereffects of municipal bankruptcy, with services cut to the marrow, the university’s relocation to its new £330m site, and the resulting infusion of talent, creativity, and, coyly put, money, may be the sole bright spot in Northampton.

The university’s vice-chancellor, Nick Petford, argues that his institution, being the only university in the county, has a distinct responsibility “to be the glue that tries to hold this together.” Nick explains that the university’s political neutrality allows it to have a “balanced view and hopefully say the things that others can’t because they’re constrained politically, which gives us a power and authority that others might not have.”

Nick speaks of the university’s strategic commitment to making a social impact and leveraging its expertise to enhance the county’s education, health, business, and culture for all residents, not solely students and staff.

However, Nick believes that the work done by him and other universities to improve their local communities is taken for granted by the central government. “A university like ours that is really punching well above its weight in terms of social impact doesn’t get any recognition for what it does.”

One of the policy reasons for raising undergraduate tuition was that students, rather than taxpayers, benefit from higher education. However, this is a minimalistic view of the duties of modern universities, which significantly contribute to local economies, states Nick. “I’m going to be discussing with the Office for Students [the new regulator] how universities can be recognized for their social value and their wider benefit to taxpayers.”

Nick wishes the university to be a prominent player in public service governance in the area, and he already chairs the county’s statutory health and wellbeing board, which “works with NHS England, the acute hospitals, children’s services, police, and fire services, connecting all the siloed entities to deliver better outcomes.”

Nick also cites the social enterprises and community interest companies established by the university: one, named Goodwill, is a logistics firm that helps ex-offenders, addicts, and former service personnel obtain employment with astounding success rates; another facilitates healthcare users’ direct participation; and a third has helped develop an integrated transportation plan for the county.

Although employment opportunities may get a significant boost when the flashy new campus arrives in town, just how much university can improve an area whose social and economic framework is being shredded by inadequate funding and county mismanagement, for Northamptonshire’s impoverished, infirmed, and elderly residents who are relying on a comprehensive collection of public services, remains unclear.

Fiona Burbeary, a senior lecturer in occupational therapy at Northampton, reveals that some of the most vulnerable citizens have seen their access to preventative health and social care greatly diminished. After the council’s bankruptcy, the First for Wellbeing service, which the GPs relied on for various types of community assistance, claimed they can now only support the “moderately frail.” Fiona and her department’s colleague, Deborah Hewson, discovered an opportunity to utilize their third-year students’ abilities to assist these vulnerable residents.

Helen Arnfield, a recent graduate, spent 12 weeks on a placement at a GP practice during her third year. She claims that some patients’ conditions were “truly complicated.” “These situations range from a lovely house to a filthy, dirty, mouse-infested one.” One disabled individual was being harassed by local drug addicts and was too frightened to exit their residence.

Placements like Arnfield’s impact will be long-lasting since, with the University of Northampton’s enterprise team’s guidance, she has created a successful business case for her position to continue now that she has graduated. This will alleviate some of the pressure of acute mental health and social services, as well as A&E and the police, and offers a model of preventative social care that other GP practices can follow.

Margaret Lawes, a former midwife and health visitor, was diagnosed with early-stage dementia in November. However, after attending a program for several months, her cognitive ability score has improved and she feels much more positive. Lawes believes their brain is being stimulated through their activities.

Northampton University is not the only higher education institution interested in revitalizing its region. In Cumbria, which has only one university, the council views it as a crucial component of its economic strategy to attract young, skilled individuals and provide them with the jobs they require to remain in the area.

The University of Salford has recently launched a 10-year, £800m initiative to establish a new “city district” in partnership with Salford council, in a different inner-city setting. Salford’s vice-chancellor, Helen Marshall, is currently in negotiation with UK and overseas businesses to bring their research and development to Salford. She aspires that industry supply chains will follow along with skilled jobs.

The university also is putting in significant effort to enhance the aspiration of local individuals to attain higher-level skills developmentally. Salford University has set a high benchmark of local young individuals who become the first to attend university in their family.

However, Dr Georgiana Varna, a lecturer in planning and urbanism at Newcastle University, warns that there is no secret to creating a university campus in a city that benefits everyone. This is because concentrating students in town centres raises housing costs that may force local residents to relocate.

While universities such as Northampton are keen to do their part for their communities, Petford believes they merit national recognition of their broader role. Higher education enriches society in numerous aspects, such as lower unemployment rates, better health outcomes, and increased productivity. The potential for universities to create social infrastructure is significant but requires recognition from the system.