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...I feel like the Robert Redford character in "all the presidents men" lol P.S. I'm sure there's someone more knowledgeable than me about Higher Education board/Vice Chancellor appointments and their links to councils/mayors/private businesses...is everything i mentioned in my above post actually what normally goes on!!? 😲

This is why: "De Montfort University boss had business link to chair of committee which awarded him £64,000 pay rise" https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/de-montfort-university-vice-chancellor-pay-rise-income-leicester-dominic-shellard-antony-stockdale-a8777306.html Talk about greed/shady practices/pigs in the trough/backhanders etc!!!! 😲 More info here: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/ex-de-montfort-university-chief-2536061 https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/de-montfort-university-confirms-3-2537127 https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/investigation-launched-after-de-montfort-2530847 https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/former-de-montfort-university-chairman-2523864 I wonder how common this is within university boards and Vice Chancellor appointments? Pretty common i'm betting. As i was saying it is all starting to unravel, De Montfort being the first to be exposed perhaps? DeMonfort I think is one of the bigger ex poly uni's too. Oh one more (very important) thing, the Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, a right arrogant slimy Labour tosser, who I always thought was in the pocket of Demonfort university simply because it felt like absolutely "any" planning the university wanted got approved..no matter what. Like a lot of university towns, Leicester has seen it's university campuses spread out far and wide to the point where the univeristy(s) are the biggest things in town. I'm sure there are others here that can relate? Anyway Sir Peter, like a lot of high up politicians has his slimy snout in a lot of things, i think a construction/building firm (will find the details later), but this following link is very very interesting!! https://thoughtsofaleicestersocialist.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/the-wages-of-soulsby/ "...In November, the City Council will be reviewing the salaries of Leicester’s most powerful politicians, including not least Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby. Reportedly, Council officials will “appoint members to an independent panel who will determine whether politicians’ pay is increased, frozen, or perhaps reduced” (September 24, Leicester Mercury)." "...A third panel member was Dominic Shellard, who has been the chief executive of De Montfort University (DMU) since 2010 (note: Kapur has been a DMU trustee since 2009). Needless to say, Soulsby has always worked closely with DMU, and earlier this year he sold them a former Council-run youth centre (The Watershed), which used to serve the public good when it was funded (March 24, Mercury)." See also: https://thoughtsofaleicestersocialist.wordpress.com/2019/02/11/let-the-investigation-of-dominic-shellard-commence/ And: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Soulsby#Salary_review_controversy I always suspected something was going on with the links between the university and the council/mayor in Leicester, and I only really started looking in to this today, and frankly it's astonishing (IMO), but at all not surprising as we know how greedy and corrupt politicians/people in positions of power are. And I really do wonder how wide this corrupt spider web spreads out, everyone seems to be keeping everyone else sweet using the public purse/tuition fees...i.e. the university board/Vice Chancellor in cahoots with local mayor and vice versa etc etc. And I'm guessing this is happening elsewhere too? It might be worth doing some digging.

Cardiff University to cut 380 posts after £20m deficit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-47205659

Well, with all that money in the coffers why wouldn't you blitz on an on advertising campaign But it does seem like the De Montfort (and Reading Uni) story is symptomatic of whats going with funding within these Universities? (especially the ex polys). I wonder how many more stories we will here like this soon?

Are things unraveling? https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/investigation-launched-after-de-montfort-2530847 "Universities watchdog The Office for Students says it is investigating 'regulatory matters at De Montfort University'. The Government body confirmed its investigation to Leicestershire Live today. The statement was released minutes after De Montfort University confirmed its vice-chancellor Dominic Shellard had quit his £350,000 a year post. In a statement, an Office for Students spokesman, said: "We are looking into a number of regulatory matters relating to De Montfort University, following the university reporting an issue to us in the autumn While this work is continuing there is no presumption of wrongdoing by the university and it would be inappropriate to comment further.” https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/de-montfort-university-vice-chancellor-2530715 "He has overseen the £136 million transformation of the Mill Lane campus, part of which is being paid for using a £90 million public bond, financed by four major lenders - and borrowed against income from student tuition fees." Now what happens when tuition fees start to fall due to reducing numbers? P.s. Lolz @ £350k salary

"...over-optimistic forecasts of student numbers". This is key, and this is whats going to bite them on the backside. Even as recently as three years ago it was all about growth, growth growth...don't think for one second they thought it could go the other way (a bit like the sheeple thinking HPI to inifiti and beyond). And similarily, because they thought there would "always" be increasing numbers of students, I think lots of universities (not just Reading) have heavily expended into building their own student residential accomodation...after all, it's a never ending money spinner...innit! It's all going end very badly. But would the government let a big university go under?

I had a feeling that was the case, but first time I'd seen a TV advert for something like this. Interesting that it's become more mainstream perhaps? But also the fact that these companies even exist in the first place show there is "demand", and that they want to jump on to the bandwagon.

Indeed.

Someone on here did mention that the next big scandal (i.e. an excuse to try and claim something because of negligence) after PPI, would be IO mortgages. I'm sure the over leveraged BTL slumlords have saved these phone numbers on to the speed dials...lolz P.S. Isn't mumsnet "always" great value? The delusion is strong there. Although to be fair on that particular thread there is nice dose of reality being fed to the OP.

Apologies if this has already been mentioned (mods please merge/remove if so), but saw an advert for this on TV earlier so had to re-post here: https://www.mortgage.claims/ "Welcome to Mortgage.Claims! If you have had a mortgage in the UK in the last 25 years you may be due compensation. Mortgage.Claims specialise in mortgage assessment and can help you get any potential compensation you deserve." Were people that dumb not realising what they were signing up for? Or is it a case of reality (i.e. falling prices/no capital gains) that's making them poop themselves and therefore play the "i woz swindled guv!/I didn't know what I was doing guv!" card? Interesting comments here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5721130 and of course, here: https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3410639-mortgage-claims

So if -2.9% is the published figure, how bad must it really be without the figures being massaged and the vested interest bias?

"Peak Everything". Well said, sums things up well IMO... peak university, peak house prices, peak fear of missing out (FOMO), peak employment, peak crypto, peak BTL, peak immigration, peak Brexit, peak social media, peak Celebrity Love Island etc etc...could be the start of a thread in its own right. And yes...now could be the end of times!

Sorry if veering more off topic again with Student BTL, but strangely had a leaflet through the door from the the biggest letting agent in the area for student properties, apparently "20% off with this leaflet", obviously they'll be a million hoops to jump through to get 20% off your rent, but the student landlords are getting screwed IMO with more purpose built accommodation and in general the University Bubble bursting i.e. less students. In fact, vice versa... the fact they are getting more desperate is a good indicator of bubble bursting perhaps. P.s. If you're a student BTL slumlord reading this...lolz

I suspect several landlords around my way are not declaring, on the HMRC online form it asks for certain mandatory details e.g. names and addresses etc but I don't know these, what's the best way of finding out this?

It yet again confirms that the whole system is purely about numbers/bums on seats i.e. money! From last year - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-46374281 "Unconditional offers used to 'get people through door" The university bubble is certainly bursting...and lots of negative media/tone which never used to exist. Is the emperor finally finding out he has no clothes? P.S. Purely anecdotal, living close to a university, I've never seen so many houses (student rental properties) up for sale round my way. Less students, more purpose build student accommodation, S24/HRMC...who'd be a student slumlord huh? My heart bleeds...lolz 😁😂