Sam Crooks, a Liberal Democrat councillor, is spearheading renewed efforts to establish a university campus in the heart of Milton Keynes. On Wednesday, Crooks presented a motion to the Milton Keynes City Council, calling for a conference that will explore “the city’s future post-secondary educational provision.” With those goals in mind, the conference seeks to involve a wide range of players. This includes local university, college and municipal government leaders who will address the state of higher education in the region.
Crooks noted that support has been general across the community for attracting a university to Milton Keynes. He cautioned that the biggest roadblock is still getting enough money for something like that. “A great disappointment – we now need to see if we can actually find other ways of getting that financial input to make the scheme work,” he stated. Crooks believes that establishing a residential university in central Milton Keynes would position the city as “the marker at the centre” of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.
The MK:U project, a collaboration between Cranfield University and Milton Keynes City Council, aimed to develop a new university on land near Central Milton Keynes railway station. Initially, MK:U planned to accommodate 5,000 students within its first five years, with aspirations to expand to 15,000. Sadly, the project ran into a massive twist last year when the government denied any Levelling Up funding. This decision effectively terminated the formal partnership between Cranfield University and the city council. Despite this setback, Crooks confirmed that efforts to advance the MK:U project are ongoing.
Currently, 640 apprentices are enrolled in part-time programs through a smaller MK:U site located on Silbury Boulevard. Significantly, the Open University (OU) had previously planned to establish a brick-and-mortar campus in nearby Milton Keynes. Now, it is routing those flashy bucks into becoming a “university without walls.” This shift is part of a national higher education movement to give students more flexibility and access.
Neil Withey, director of MK:U, expressed optimism about the future of higher education in Milton Keynes. He stated, “Delivering degree apprenticeships in key areas such as cyber security, leadership, robotics and supply chain management, MK:U is a key part of the city’s educational ecosystem.” Withey added that they would “welcome further collaboration and investment around future HE opportunities in the city.”
Milton Keynes is located directly in the center of the government’s Oxford-Cambridge Arc growth corridor. This strategic proximity has made it one of the most attractive ecosystems for educational institutions and businesses alike. The landscape of higher education demand is dynamic and evolving. Crooks and fellow advocates argue that establishing a university campus in Milton Keynes will allow more local students to access higher education while enhancing the new city’s profile as an innovative, knowledge-based, and forward-thinking community.
