Letter: Price of LSE move

Sir: Like many university teachers up and down the country, I have been much impressed by the campaign of the LSE to get itself transferred to County Hall, substantially at public expense. It is refreshing to see academics organising themselves so well.

Their considerable achievement should not, however, be allowed to obscure the fact that the public budget for higher education is limited. The public costs of the proposed move will have to be deducted from this budget.

London has too many teaching hospitals; it also has too many universities and university colleges. The proposed move offers a means of resolving the second problem.

The LSE moves to County Hall; the real cost of this to the public purse is deducted from the total public funding of London's many university institutions; two of these are closed down.

Yours faithfully,

R. E. JONES

School of European Studies

University of Wales

College of Cardiff

14 August