Caution : Vince Cable urged universities to 'think twice ' about vice-chancellors ' pay . Vince Cable has urged universities to ‘ think twice ’ about vice-chancellors ’ pay after it emerged that their average earnings topped £260,000 last year . The Business Secretary said large pay rises would be ‘ hard to swallow ’ when many institutions were short of funding . Figures obtained from 150 institutions by the University and College Union under the Freedom of Information Act show the average overall salary package for university heads in 2013/14 was £260,290 . A total of 18 vice-chancellors saw their pay rise by more than 10 per cent , the lecturers ’ union calculated . The best paid was the former vice-chancellor of Nottingham Trent University , Professor Neil Gorman , who pocketed £623,000 with bonuses accrued over the past five years . The UCU also found the average expenditure on flights for university leaders was £9,705 , with many travelling first or business class . The average for hotel accommodation was £3,202 and personal expenses £3,112 . Funding shortages : Graduates leave the the Great Hall after a degree ceremony at Birmingham University ( stock photo ) . Figures reveal vice-chancellors earned an average £260,000 last year . Mr Cable said yesterday : ‘ At a time when most university staff are seeing modest wage increases , if any at all , news of these large pay rises for university bosses will be hard to swallow . It would be wise for the sector to think twice before increasing vice-chancellors ’ salaries. ’ TUC general secretary Frances O ’ Grady said : ‘ Soaraway pay at the top has been matched by zero-hours contracts and big real-wage falls for staff across higher education. ’ Last year , ministers said they had serious concerns about the ‘ substantial upward drift ’ of salaries and that university leaders should show ‘ much greater restraint ’ . UK universities are independent institutions but they receive public grants , and students receive government loans to pay tuition fees . UCU asked 155 UK universities and colleges a series of questions about vice-chancellors ’ pay packages , including benefits and pensions , as well as money spent on air fares , hotel accommodation and personal expenses , for the year ending July 31 last year . Around 16 per cent- 24 institutions - did not respond or cited exemptions and did not release the requested information . The findings show that the average overall salary package for university heads in 2013/14 was £260,290 based on data from 150 institutions . The average expenditure on flights for university leaders , with information from 128 universities , was £9,705.75 . The most was spent by the London School of Economics and Political Science ( LSE ) , which paid out £59,811.14 on flights for director Professor Craig Calhoun . Overall just over two-thirds of air fares were for first or business class , UCU said , according to data from 114 universities . The average spend on hotel accommodation during 2013/14 was £3,202.05 , based on data from 122 institutions . The most was spent by Glasgow Caledonian University for Professor Pamela Gillies at £27,271.13 . The average received by vice-chancellors in personal expenses was £3,112.61 , according to information gathered from 125 universities . The highest amount - £33,526 - was given to Professor Gavin Henderson of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama . Richard Bullock , chairman of Nottingham Trent University ’ s board of governors , said : ‘ Former vice-chancellor Professor Neil Gorman received a 2 per cent salary pay rise in his final year as vice-chancellor . ‘ The additional monies reported in this year ’ s financial accounts were paid under a scheme that was instigated in 2008 to operate over a five-year period . 'This scheme was put in place by the board following independent , external advice , at a critical time in the university ’ s strategic development which required continuity of leadership . 'The board were keen to retain Professor Gorman for this five-year period following a very successful initial five years. ’ He added that monies accrued annually were subject to meeting clear terms , with accruals declared each year . An LSE spokesman said : ‘ A key part of the director ’ s role at LSE is to maintain the array of international relationships and establish new links with universities , businesses and non-governmental organisations around the world . 'Inevitably this involves a significant amount of international travel . None of this travel is in first class. ’ A Glasgow Caledonian spokeswoman said : ‘ GCU is the first Scottish university to open a campus in London and it established the UK ’ s first campus in New York in 2013/14 , with further key partnerships in Bangladesh , Oman and South Africa . ‘ This has inevitably required extended trips to our overseas locations and having increased costs . The university is transparent about expenses incurred . ’
Large pay rises 'hard to swallow ' when many institutions short on funding . Figures show 18 vice-chancellors had 10 % pay bump in 2013/14 . Former Nottingham Trent vice-chancellor pocketed £623,000 with bonuses . Comment: