Grocer runs for Cambridge chancellor post

13 June 2011 Last updated at 09:15 GMT Abdul Arain (far right) with staff at his grocery store in Cambridge A shopkeeper has decided to stand for the post of chancellor at the University of Cambridge.

Abdul Arain, who owns a grocery store on Mill Road in the city, has gained "well in excess" of the necessary 50 nominations enabling him to stand.

The current chancellor, the Duke of Edinburgh, is due to retire from the post at the end of June.

"It's time to get the common man back in touch with the university, and the other way around," said Mr Arain.

Cambridge University has nominated its official candidate, Lord Sainsbury. However, following a Facebook campaign led by students, the actor Brian Blessed was also nominated.

Mr Arain will stand against both of them when the nominations close on 17 June. The name of the successful candidate will be announced by the university senate in October.

'Not personal'

The grocery store owner has lived in Cambridgeshire for 30 years and has been trading on Mill Road, just south of the city centre, for 15 years.

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It's time to get the common man back in touch with the university, and the other way around”

End Quote Abdul Arain Shopkeeper He is well-known as an ardent campaigner against supermarket giants - including Sainsbury - taking over the small, independent shops in an area known for its mix of cafes, bars, charity shops and small stores like his own.

However, he insisted that standing against Lord Sainsbury was not personal.

"It's all about what one feels uniquely about," he said.

"I think there are a lot of people here who think that Cambridge is once again being attacked by the multiples.

"They think that Cambridge has already been badged a 'clone town' with only one independent shop in the city centre, and they don't want the same to happen to Mill Road.

"I think they feel passionate that this is happening up and down the country."

Family and community

Mr Arain said he was "honoured" to be standing for chancellor. He added that his nomination was achieved mainly through "word-of-mouth" by academics and former students who lived in the area and used his shop.

"It's not just about the students, though," he said. "Those students then become residents here. They are the dons, the masters, the academics and the people in all other walks of life in Cambridge."

He added that he was running for the post because he felt passionately about his family and the local community he worked in, and did not wish to see supermarket chains "depleting the area".

If Mr Arain is elected in October, he will become the 108th chancellor of the university since Hugh de Hottun was first elected to the post in the 13th Century.

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Cambridge academics join protests

2 June 2011 Last updated at 16:07 GMT By Angela Harrison Education correspondent, BBC News The motion will be debated later this month Cambridge University academics are joining their counterparts in Oxford by calling for a vote of no confidence against the government's handling of higher education in England.

About 150 academics have signed a motion - known as a "grace" - on the issue.

This could lead to a vote by the thousands of academics at the university.

The government says its changes are needed to create a sustainable system.

From next year, universities in England will be able to charge up to ?9,000 a year for undergraduate degree courses.

On Tuesday Oxford academics are due to vote on their motion attacking the changes.

Dr Jason Scott-Warren, senior lecturer in the faculty of English, is one of those behind the Cambridge motion.

He told the BBC News website academics were hoping the government would re-think its approach to higher education "in NHS-style".

The government is re-examining its plans for changes to the health service following an outcry from doctors.

"If Oxford and Cambridge and other academics across the country speak out against the changes, it's possible that will force government to re-think," he said.

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If Oxford and Cambridge and other academics across the country speak out against the changes, it's possible that will force government to re-think”

End Quote Dr Jason Scott-Warren, Cambridge academic "The policies seem to have been badly thought-through and are unravelling as they proceed," he added.

"We're only really beginning to understand the implications of the new government policy as it unfolds over time. And the more we see of it, the more damaging it appears to be."

The "grace" urges the university to tell the government it has "no confidence in the policies of the Universities Minister" (David Willetts).

The president of the Cambridge University Students' Union Rahul Mansigani said: "This is an important symbol of Cambridge academics voicing their opposition to disastrous government policies, including fees".

'Fairer system'

Under the government's plans, higher fees are due to replace money being cut from many teaching budgets. Ministers say the changes will mean universities in England will receive more money than at present.

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "Our student and university finance reforms are fairer than the present system and affordable for the nation.

"No student will be asked to pay upfront costs, there will be more financial support for poorer students and those who go on to earn the highest incomes will make the largest contributions after they have graduated.

"Our reforms put students in the driving seat while putting universities on a sustainable footing for the future."

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