Universally of Salford: The Curious Case of Ian Austin

Tuesday, 3 August 2010

The Curious Case of Ian Austin

Spare a thought for poor Ian Austin who, as former Managing Partner at Halliwells LLP, had to endure burdens that we mortals could not even imagine.

This included the horrors of having to slice up a £15m cash windfall as profit, to be trousered by him and his co-Equity Partners, before the humiliating experience of having to watch as Halliwells LLP went into Administration.

As if that weren't enough, his colleagues are not even supplying him with a sympathetic showing for his plight.

We trust, in the spirit of academia which so often flourishes in Britain, that he will be given a much fairer deal in his other official role, as Chair of the Audit Committee at the University of Salford!

1 comment:

Dr Gary Paul Duke3 August 2010 at 06:25
This gentleman was previously the managing partner at Halliwells. As Chair of the Audit Committee, this would suggest that Mr Austin is a member of a governing body (University Council)and is therefore a University of Salford charity trustee?

Over the course of the past few months, on behalf of the University, Halliwells have provided services for the University in writing threatening letters to myself, my representative and another former student to my knowledge.

Several questions spring to mind: Did Mr Austin as a partner in Halliwells benefit financially in providing these services? If so will they have been declared by him on the Register of Interests?

Have Mr Austin's firm Halliwells provided other services to the University in the past?

Is this really in keeping with 'Seven Principles of Public Life, published by the Committee on Standards in Public Life, namely; selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership', which comprise clause 3 of the CODE OF CONDUCT FOR MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AND SENIOR OFFICERS http://policies.salford.ac.uk/display.php?id=352

For the sake of transparency, knowing Mr Austin's position in this firm of solicitors http://www.governance.salford.ac.uk/page/Council_Biographies would it not have been wiser if the University had delegated the writing of these threatening letters to another firm of solicitors?

Just a thought.
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What is 'Universally of Salford'?

The openness of any social structure can be validated by how it treats criticism. A democracy would never be described as open or liberal if it failed to encourage a climate in which criticism and opposition to the ideas of an executive body can flourish. A University is no different.

During our experiences with the University of Salford, there has never been an effective outlet for the sort of objections to executive policies and decisions raised in this blog. Almost every attempt we have ever made to investigate any controversial decisions, activities, spending or events has been met with threats, derision and concealment.

The Students' Union – the obvious forum in which to raise these issues – remains silent owing to virtually the entirety of its funding being conditional upon donations from the University.

It is our opinion that the University of Salford can never improve if it, as an institution, cannot distinguish between good and bad decision making. Achieving this is conditional upon both the student and staff bodies being kept informed about both the good and bad within the University.

Since the University have a monopoly over their internal publications (including, we would argue, the Student Newspaper), and since this 'monopolised' publicity is almost without exception propagandist, it is our opinion that a purely critical alternative ought be available to staff and students to balance out this inequity and assist in keeping both parties informed.