12 February 2009
Cotswolds MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown yesterday called an adjournment debate on the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) announcement of a moratorium on funding for capital projects until late March.
Cotswolds MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown yesterday called an adjournment debate on the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) announcement of a moratorium on funding for capital projects until late March which has affected the National Star College and Cirencester College.
During his speech the MP attacked what he called “the appalling discrepancy between the encouragement that the Government offered colleges to develop and the capacity actively to support that development financially”
This failure has resulted in a situation where these two colleges have invested large sums of money in planning for projects that may now not be given the green light.
Of particular concern for Mr Clifton-Brown was the National Star College who have completed phase 1 of their development with phase 2 due for completion soon.
However it is phases 3 and 4 which are the most substantive stages which will provide about £10.5 million of specialist education and therapy facilities and residential student accommodation that have been hit by this delay.
The concern for colleges across the country is that even if they are given the green light to continue, money will have been lost through fixed length contracts, loss in sale value of land or in the costs of renegotiating loans.
Mr Clifton-Brown was unable to get any firm answers from the Minister, though he was able to put pressure on him for the swiftest possible resolution to the problem to ease uncertainty for colleges across the country and for maximum transparency in the LSC’s prioritisation of capital spending projects.
Referring to the effect this delay was having on the National Star College the MP told the Government Minister Sion Simon MP that:
“Anybody who has heard what the college can do for the most disadvantaged students will think it a national scandal if its improvement is delayed, postponed or cancelled.”
| Hansard
Cotswolds MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown yesterday called an adjournment debate on the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) announcement of a moratorium on funding for capital projects until late March which has affected the National Star College and Cirencester College.
During his speech the MP attacked what he called “the appalling discrepancy between the encouragement that the Government offered colleges to develop and the capacity actively to support that development financially”
This failure has resulted in a situation where these two colleges have invested large sums of money in planning for projects that may now not be given the green light.
Of particular concern for Mr Clifton-Brown was the National Star College who have completed phase 1 of their development with phase 2 due for completion soon.
However it is phases 3 and 4 which are the most substantive stages which will provide about £10.5 million of specialist education and therapy facilities and residential student accommodation that have been hit by this delay.
The concern for colleges across the country is that even if they are given the green light to continue, money will have been lost through fixed length contracts, loss in sale value of land or in the costs of renegotiating loans.
Mr Clifton-Brown was unable to get any firm answers from the Minister, though he was able to put pressure on him for the swiftest possible resolution to the problem to ease uncertainty for colleges across the country and for maximum transparency in the LSC’s prioritisation of capital spending projects.
Referring to the effect this delay was having on the National Star College the MP told the Government Minister Sion Simon MP that:
“Anybody who has heard what the college can do for the most disadvantaged students will think it a national scandal if its improvement is delayed, postponed or cancelled.”
| Hansard
