Ive been offered a PhD studentship from a university which is great but Im slightly concerned that
a) the university hasnt got an incredibly high RAE/reputation as its a former poly and
b) the studentship is university-funded, rather then ERSC.
the reason im concerned is that afterwards i hope to go on in a lecturer/research capacity in HE, and wonder if prejudice still exists about 'where' i got my PhD from?

Hi Lucy Your supervisor's reputation in their field is more important than that of the Uni. Also, while external funding is reassuring as it shows that your project proposal has been peer reviewed, that doesn't necessarily mean that an internally funded project is inferior. As a post-doc/lecturer you will be judged on your research output (number of papers, grants held) and this will have much more of an impact on your employability than which uni awarded your higher degree.

Whether you like the group you'll be working with and whether you think you will be happy there for 3-4 years is of paramount importance! Good luck :o)