LONDON: The UK’s Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, has been accused of “punching down” over plans to cut spending on universities and teaching in London, as part of the government’s “levelling up” program to redistribute funds outside the capital to other parts of England.
University bosses suggested that plans to lower a grant for London-based teachers would cost them £64 million ($88.5 million), and lead to a cut of over 1,000 jobs, harming London’s position as a global education hub, with some chiefs warning of the impact to global health care development.
There have also been suggestions that the capital’s transport, housing, council and other services could lose funds as part of the reforms.
Education in London has a higher level of funding given that the overall costs of providing services in the UK capital are 14.1 percent higher on average.
Prof. David Phoenix, vice-chancellor of London South Bank University, said: “London weighting was introduced 100 years ago to bring fairness into funding of public services and rightly applies to most public servants in the capital.
“If there isn’t some central contribution to the higher costs of operating in London, there is less funding left to spend on student support than is the case outside London.
In a letter sent to the Office for Students, Williamson stated: “The levelling-up agenda is key to this government, and we think it is inconsistent with this to invest additional money in London providers, the only such regional weighting that exists in the grant.”
But Dr. Diana Beech, CEO of London Higher, which represents more than 40 London universities and colleges, said: “For London, the government’s brutal plan is less about levelling up and more about levelling down.
“Many of London’s institutions are world-leading, attracting the brightest and best from across the globe, while others are bedrocks in their local boroughs, offering a desperately needed lifeline for people from some of the most deprived wards in the UK.
“To underfund London’s ‘big names’ threatens to damage the city’s status as a global higher education powerhouse,” she added.
Twickenham MP Munira Wilson, meanwhile, wrote to Michelle Donelan, universities minister, to warn of the impact of the cuts on students from ethnic minority backgrounds.
“The removal of London weighting will not ‘level up’ the country, it will deepen disadvantage and seeks to level down London,” she said.
Prof. Alice Gast, president of Imperial College London, said: “The pandemic has shown that London’s great universities are indispensable to Britain and the world, with advances in epidemiology, virology, vaccinology, testing and health care. Any cuts hamper our crucial work and threaten Britain’s competitiveness.”
Prof. Jenny Higham, principal of St. George’s, University of London, added: “As a specialist provider for the next generation of health care professionals and scientists, this change will result in a recurrent annual loss of £1.7 million. We operate on small margins; this deficit represents almost all our surplus earmarked for reinvestment in educational and research facilities.”
UK government accused of ‘punching down’ over London education cuts
https://arab.news/2hkxg
UK government accused of ‘punching down’ over London education cuts
- Government claims moves will help “level up” other parts of UK
- University chiefs cite impact to global healthcare development from loss of money
India’s wealthy embrace a new luxury symbol: water
- Tap water in India is not fit for human consumption
- Wealthy opt for premium water as wellness craze boosts industry
NEW DELHI: At an Indian gourmet food store, Avanti Mehta is organizing a blind tasting of drinks sourced from France, Italy and India. No, this isn’t wine, it’s water.
Participants use tiny shot glasses to check the minerality, carbonation and salinity in samples of Evian from the French Alps, Perrier from southern France, San Pellegrino from Italy and India’s Aava from the foothills of the Aravalli mountains.
“They will all taste different ... you should be choosing a water that can give you some sort of nutritional value,” said Mehta, who is 32 and calls herself India’s youngest water sommelier, a term usually associated with premium wine. Her family owns the Aava mineral water brand. Premium water is a $400 million business in the world’s most populous nation and is growing bigger as its wealthy see it as a new status symbol that fits in with a spreading wellness craze.
Premium Indian mineral water costs around $1 for a one-liter bottle, while imported brands are upwards of $3, or 15 times the price of the country’s lowest-priced basic bottled water.
Clean water is a privilege in the country of 1.4 billion people where researchers say 70 percent of the groundwater is contaminated. Tap water remains unfit to drink, and 16 people died in Indore city after consuming contaminated tap water in December.
Many in India see bottled water as a necessity and standard 20 US-cent bottles are available widely at convenience stores, restaurants and hotels. The market is worth nearly $5 billion annually and is set to grow 24 percent a year — among the fastest in the world.
Bottled water demand in United States or China is driven by convenience, making it a $30 billion-plus market in each country which will grow just 4-5 percent each year, Euromonitor says.
In India, the premium water segment is leading the surge in demand, accounting for 8 percent of the bottled water market last year compared to just 1 percent in 2021, Euromonitor said.
“Distrust of municipal water in some areas has escalated the demand for bottled water. Now, people understand how mineral water has more health benefits. It’s expensive, but the category will boom,” said Amulya Pandit, a senior consultant at Euromonitor specializing in the drinks market.
Among its consumers are New Delhi-based real estate developer B.S. Batra, who says his family uses only premium water at home to get more minerals and safeguard health.
“You feel different, more energetic during the day,” said Batra, 49, an avid badminton player.
“I consume mineral water even with whisky at home, and kids use it for their smoothies.”
Water lures Bollywood star, wealthy
The popular 20-cent plastic bottled water is mainly made by Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Indian market leader Bisleri. In addition, Indians who can afford it, install purifiers in their homes which clean the water but also remove most minerals.
Imported and local premium waters are luring wealthy consumers and businesses alike.
Bollywood star Bhumi Pednekar and her sister have launched Backbay — selling 750 ml cartons of mineral water for $2.2; Indian conglomerate Tata is expanding its premium water portfolio, and retailers and businesses are reporting higher sales.
Tata Consumer Products, also Starbucks’ partner in India, sells 20-cent bottled water, but premium water is its priority as it sees affluent, health-focused consumers willing to spend on the drink without worrying about the price, CEO Sunil D’Souza said in an interview.
“I don’t have to push water uphill...I see a long, long, long runway for the business,” he said.
Tata’s premium “Himalayan” mineral water factory — which a Reuters photographer visited — is located in the foothills of the Himalayan range in Himachal Pradesh state. Workers there largely keep a hands-free watch on machines filling plastic and glass bottles with water sourced from a natural underground aquifer.
Looking for springs
Most Indians prefer still water, and the sparkling variant remains niche. Tata said it plans to launch a sparkling Himalayan water, and is also scouting for natural springs for expanding its other offerings. At three Foodstories Indian gourmet stores, sales of premium waters tripled in 2025. Customer demand prompted the chain to import “light and creamy” Saratoga Spring Water from New York, which costs 799 rupees ($9) for a 355-milliliter (12-fluid-ounce) bottle, and stocks sold out within days, said co-founder Avni Biyani.
Indian mineral water brand Aava’s sales touched a record 805 million rupees ($9 million) last year, growing 40 percent a year since 2021. Tata said its basic and premium water portfolio will grow 30 percent a year, after growing tenfold to $65 million in six years.
Imported waters, which attract an over 30 percent tax, are pricier than Indian brands. Nestle’s Perrier and San Pellegrino, and Danone’s Evian retail for over 300 rupees, or $3.20, for a 750 ml bottle.
Nestle declined to comment, while Danone said the Indian bottled water market was growing at a “robust” pace but imported waters “tend to be niche and boutique.”
“When you open your tap, you’re not getting an Aava, Evian ... And that is what you’re essentially paying for,” said water sommelier Mehta.
At the water tasting session, some participants said they enjoyed the experience but many found the price hard to swallow.
“To be honest, it is kind of expensive,” said executive Hoshini Vallabhaneni, one of 14 people at the event. “For everyday use — it will burn a hole in the pocket.”
