Press Release: Further delays in FE college capital funding fiasco
Commenting on the Government’s further delays to Further Education (FE) college capital funding projects announced by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), Shadow Innovation, Universities and Skills Secretary, David Willetts said:
“This is yet another blow to colleges as a result of the Government’s capital funding fiasco. Colleges were told to expect an answer about future projects this week but now the Government has delayed the decision for another month.
“It’s simply not acceptable that colleges have to operate in this climate, where catastrophic Government miscalculations throw their capital projects into turmoil. When ministers attempt to clear up the mess they can’t even stick to their own timetable. After the original fiasco, sorting the fiasco out has itself become a fiasco.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
FE Colleges were this week expecting approval for individual capital projects, as outlined by a letter from the Learning and Skills Council on 24 April.
But the LSC has now sent a letter to college principals informing them that ‘no immediate announcements will be made as to which colleges have gone through to the next stage of the process; we will make that announcement later in the month,’ because ‘many more colleges have put forward a case for their projects to be considered as “shovel ready” than expected.’