CORNWALL COLLEGE FUNDING LIMBO - Ministerial meeting on future of multi-million pound plans at Pool

4.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 31st Mar 2009

Cornwall College is facing a tense wait over the future of multi-million pound plans for its Pool campus.

The college has been affected by a funding crisis, caused by the Learning Skills Council (LSC). They have put a freeze on capital spending in colleges across the country, after massively over-reaching their budget. Cornwall College's plans are now caught in the log jam, and it remains unclear whether or not there will be enough resources available to complete the work they have planned.

Cornwall College has already spent £500,000 on preparing for the work to go ahead, and is effectively in limbo whilst it waits for an announcement. The Government and the LSC are now working to prioritise which colleges will get funding - a process which could take several months.

Julia raised the issue in Parliament and has secured a meeting with Government Minister Sion Simon to discuss further the problems Cornwall College faces. The meeting has been set for 27 April.

Commenting, Julia Goldsworthy said:

"Cornwall College's plans in Pool are a crucial part of the wider regeneration of the area. If funding is withdrawn, there is a danger that the college campus will stand out as the only part of the area that has not been improved. This cannot be allowed to happen.

"I've arranged a meeting with government minister, Sion Simon, to ensure that he is fully aware of the importance of this scheme as he considers which proposals to prioritise. Now more than ever it's important to ensure that support is available to people locally to enable them to improve their skills and better their chances in the jobs market.

"Whilst there are real questions to be answered about how the LSC managed to over-commit itself in this way, the most important thing for now is getting the go-ahead for this very important scheme."