Top Boss Lilley to Leave University

By Paddy Harte

The University’s Director of Facilities Management, Keith Lilley, is to leave his post as early as this Friday Vision has learnt.

The top boss, who is thought to command close to a six figure salary, topped Vision’s power list in July; a consequence of his control over key services such as cleaning, catering, security, timetabling and University bars. However, worryingly the University admits his vital role will be left vacant for some time, commenting, “There will be no direct replacement in the first instance.”

One puzzled student commented, “This isn’t great really, why haven’t they got someone else to do the job yet? Who’s going to manage all the stuff that he used too?”

According to certain members of the university’s non-academic staff, Lilley’s departure will not be cause for mourning. With several anonymous sources telling Vision: “we won’t be sorry to see the back of him”. These remarks come after a year of spending cuts in the university including, most controversially, cuts in the portering system.

One anonymous staff member alleged: “It is pretty obvious that Keith Lilley was simply brought in for one reason only – cutting costs…[As a result] we have all been scared for our jobs.” Another staff member remarked, “Lilley used to work at the NHS, we were told he cut loads of jobs there…it what some of these management people do, they move from job to job cutting us normal people’s jobs.” The University refused to respond to these allegations.

However, Lilley has also been lauded for many successes during his time as Director of Facilities Management. As reported by Vision in the recent Power List, Lilley has been essential in steering the university’s multi-million pound Heslington East development through the recession. Additionally, one YUSU official told us that Lilley was at the forefront of the successful Hes East swimming pool proposal.

The circumstances around Lilley’s departure are unknown, with Lilley himself refusing to comment. The University did remark that, “Keith Lilley is leaving to take up another position”, but refused to disclose where Lilley is moving, claiming it was “a private matter”.

A Heslington Hall insider hinted that Lilley’s departure had more to do with his 3 hour commute from Sheffield rather than any professional disagreement.

12 thoughts on “Top Boss Lilley to Leave University”

  1. This is actually rather old news. Some of the quotes are a little silly as well, ooooh he’s the bogey man who swoops in and takes our jobs away. Grow up.

  2. Speaking to the cleaners when they came round my block last year it seems as if the staff did have quite a poor picture of their boss.

    @ Chris – I’m not sure you’d be so flippant if you were one of the people who have lost their jobs as a result of Lilly’s cuts.

  3. i agree with mr. clean. chris, a lot of people working in services in the uni have dependents: husbands, wives, kids, pets, etc. to say they need to grow up when worried about losing their jobs is really callous and nasty!

    also, surely he has to work out a notice period, during which a replacement can be recruited? i wouldn’t panic quite yet.

  4. Feels like Vision are trying to compete with Nouse.co.uk by updating their website over the summer holidays…

    Except Nouse actually post recent news stories. That aren’t over a month old. And that don’t include ridiculous quotes worthy of CBBC’s Newsround.

  5. Not sure why you felt the need to comment competition monster: of course vision would be looking to compete with nouse over the summer, can’t imagine why you had to air that. Also, this was news to me – I would dispute the fact that the majority of students knew this already.

  6. To be fair, Nouse have just reprted the same story so competition monster can probably take a slice of humble.

    My point wasn’t that people who lose their jobs should simply get over it. What I actually meant was that Lilley is hardly some eveil jobgrinch who sacks people for fun. He isn’t and I am pretty sure that without his committment to customer services etc, plenty more cleaners and front-line staff would’ve gone

  7. Oh and Micah, I completely agree that this is news, just it has been known to quite a few for quite a while and I was surprised it wasn’t reported ealier.

  8. Nouse has been sat on the story for weeks but researched it much more comprehensively and had an array of other stuff to put up, so that’s why it’s only just emerged.

    What’s with all this ‘competition’ nonsense everytime Vision posts something? Let’s be fair: we all know there really is no competition now, don’t we?

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