Dear Millers – it’s late in the day for us to be darkening your doors but there’s been a big development in one of our longest-running stories: George Holmes, the longtime vice chancellor of the University of Greater Manchester, has been sacked.
Just before 4pm today, staff received an email from Andrew Roberts, chair of the board of governors, informing them that “Dr George Holmes’ contract as Vice Chancellor has been ended by the Governing Body of the University.” Roberts added: “Dr Holmes is therefore no longer an employee of the University.” Dr Greg Walker remains acting vice chancellor of the university in the interim, and the board of governors will soon convene for a meeting to appoint “a permanent head of the institution.”
A spokesperson for the university confirmed the news in a statement to The Mill, saying that Holmes’ contract was terminated “earlier this week”.
A few weeks ago, we revealed that Holmes was one of three individuals arrested by Greater Manchester Police on 8 July in connection with a “significant and complex investigation” into the alleged misuse of as much as £1.7 million in university funds. Police say they opened their investigation a year ago “after we received allegations from The Mill publication and a subsequent report from Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) commissioned by the university’s Fraud Response Panel”.
All three individuals were arrested on suspicion of money laundering, two of them were arrested on suspicion of fraud, and one was also arrested on suspicion of bribery. We do not know which potential offences apply to Holmes. We also revealed that the other two people arrested on the same day were Holmes’ partner Louise Burrows and Derek Rout, a 64-year-old man who works as the university’s head of facilities.
Holmes was appointed as vice chancellor in 2006, when it was called Bolton University, making him the longest-serving university leader in the country. He was suspended in May last year, weeks after our reporting raised questions about financial deals being done by university staff. At the time, the university described his suspension as a “precautionary measure” that did not imply “any assumption of guilt.”
Update, 6 August 2026: Shortly after publication, George Holmes provided us with this statement via his solicitor:
"The decision of the University’s governing board to dismiss me after over 20 years of loyal service to the University of Greater Manchester is a travesty. I have been denied natural justice, due process and the right to be presumed innocent of all that I have been accused of. Even a first-year law student learns at the outset of their degree course that these are the basics of a fair process that are the right of any citizen under our English legal system.
I look forward to the opportunity to clear my name in due course, and to holding the individuals at the University, and their professional advisers, PwC and Eversheds, personally to account when the time comes. I am a patient man. It will be worth the wait. I will not be commenting further until my name is cleared."
Phil Brickell, MP for Bolton West, told The Mill today: “It is now vital that the institution focuses on restoring confidence, ensuring strong governance, and maintaining its commitment to students, staff and the wider community.” He added: “the university should seek to draw a line under this affair”.
In the university-wide email, Roberts reassured staff that through their efforts, the university is beginning to undo some of the reputational damage it has suffered, with strengthened student satisfaction ratings in the National Student Survey results published on 8 July. “I look forward to the University making further strides in the year ahead,” Roberts wrote.
