This (from Dr. S. J. Hannahs to the LINGUIST list) is the latest news on the sad situation at Durham where the Linguistics department is being closed down, despite being one of the best departments around:

In response to the recent LinguistList postings concerning the Linguistics department at Durham (Issues 14.3155 and 14.3183), some clarification is in order.

As it currently stands, delicate negotiations are underway between the University of Durham and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne concerning the transfer of linguists from Durham to Newcastle. The full outcome of these negotiations is not yet known, and is partially dependent on funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The current intention does not, sadly, involve the transfer of the whole department; however, we are confident that a fruitful venture can be established between linguists from Durham and the highly respected Linguistics Section at Newcastle.

We will let the community of linguists know how things progress!