Stand-off over education post

Ministers are in a stand-off with a group of backbench MPs, after a Commons committee refused to endorse the government’s choice of candidate to run the higher education admissions watchdog and proposed that officials “conduct a new recruitment exercise”.

The recommendation came from parliament’s business department committee after it conducted a pre-appointment hearing of the government’s preferred candidate to be director of the Office for Fair Access, known as Offa. Its role is to ensure that universities make efforts to admit poorer students.

Ministers are not bound to accept the committee’s conclusion on Les Ebdon, vice-chancellor of the university of Bedfordshire. In 2009, Ed Balls, then schools secretary, ignored a select committee’s decision not to endorse his candidate to serve as children’s commissioner.

Vince Cable, business secretary, and David Willetts, universities minister, continue to believe that Prof Ebdon is the best candidate for the position but will, however, consider recommendations made by the report. Prof Ebdon has said: “I am still very interested in becoming the next director of Offa.”

Prof Ebdon was chosen by ministers after being presented with three names that were put forward at the end of an open application process conducted by recruitment consultants and an impartial panel. Sir Martin Harris, former vice-chancellor of Essex and Manchester, is the current head.

Prof Ebdon is outspoken on access. He told the committee he would use Offa’s power to cap fees charged by institutions if they made too little effort to widen university participation by under-represented groups. Universities need Offa’s permission to charge more than £6,000.

Prof Ebdon’s appointment was opposed by four Conservative members of the committee, who voted against his appointment. Two Labour MPs voted for it. One Tory MP said there was concern that Offa should do more to focus blame on schools for low participation rates among poorer people.

The committee report said it was “not convinced by Professor Ebdon’s descriptions of the root causes of the obstacles to accessing universities”. The committee document said MPs worried he would be unable to win arguments on access, and lacked the required presentational skills.

Prof Ebdon chairs million+, a think-tank representing newer universities, and is seen as a standard-bearer for such institutions. His appointment was opposed by representatives of some older, more prestigious universities, some of whom lobbied MPs to oppose his appointment.

Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, said: “This has nothing to do with Prof Ebdon’s experience of getting those from poorer backgrounds into university and everything to do with an old boys network of elite vice-chancellors thinking that they can pick their own watchdog.”