CEREDIGION’S universities are facing “savage” funding cuts that could threaten the county’s economy, AM Elin Jones has warned.

The Welsh Government has announced that it is cutting funding for the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the body which funds universities, by 32 per cent in the draft budget for 2016/17, a total of around £41m.

However, part of the funding cut will be put into grants for tuition fees for students, so may still provide some funding for Welsh universities.

That has sparked warnings from Ms Jones that the cuts which will hit both university campuses at both Aberystwyth and Lampeter will have consequences for the whole Ceredigion economy.

She said: “This savage cut to the higher education budget will come as a massive shock to our local universities. Ceredigion’s economy is hugely dependent on our two university campuses. A cut on this scale threatens universities’ ability to provide the excellence we need in teaching and research.

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