THE University of Liverpool has offered voluntary redundancy to all its staff.

The move spells upheaval for the university with trade union sources saying up to 200 redundancies are planned.

University sources also claim an unofficial freeze on academic recruitment has been operating since June.

The move comes within six months of Sir Howard Newby taking up his post as vice-chancellor at the university.

Under the university’s new strategic plan for the next five years, Sir Howard plans to increase total research income per staff member and reach the top 75 in international league tables.

It also includes plans to increase the number of overseas students and achieve a surplus of 3% to 5% of total income each year.

Some academics have claimed the plans signal a shift of focus away from humanities and social sciences towards science, where research income is higher.

In an email sent to all staff by Sir Howard in August last year, he outlined five priorities; enhancing research performance, positioning the university as a global institution, enhancing the student experience; knowledge exchange and innovation and widening participation.

In a statement, the Liverpool branch of the University and College Union said: “There is a lot of concern and uncertainty around the intended restructuring that forms part of the university’s new strategic plan.