College plans hang in the balance

A decision relating to Government funding for Hopwood Hall College was been put on hold.

The Learning and Skills Council was due to announce progress at a meeting on 3 June, but instead any decision making has been deferred, leaving politicians and campaigners frustrated.

The Conservatives previously laid into Government ministers about the national funding fiasco which put Hopwood College’s £72 million redevelopment in doubt earlier this year.

Rochdale's new sixth form college was not affected by the funding problem and building work has now begun on the site near Hopwood Hall's Rochdale campus, but last month Hopwood Hall stood-down the Project Team for the Middleton campus redevelopment after money from the Government’s Building Colleges for the Future programme ran out.

Councillor Robert Clegg said: “Not much is happening at the moment as the decision has been deferred, there is nothing much I can say at the moment.”

Nationally, scores of college projects that were approved in principle have been stopped, and Chancellor Alistair Darling has now made available £300 million to allow a limited number of the most needy to go ahead.

Shadow skills secretary David Willetts accused the Government’s Learning and Skills Council (LSC) of encouraging colleges to inflate their plans.

He said: “They’ve not just been promised funding. Often colleges have been encouraged to bid and been told, ‘Oh you’re only bidding for £20 million; £20 million is pathetic. Have you thought of going back and bidding for £50 million?’

“They have been actively encouraged, even when, perhaps, originally the idea was refurbishment and modest improvements. They were told, ‘No, knock the whole thing down and go for a grandiose capital project’.

“Having had their hopes raised as a result of the LSC and DIUS (Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills) ministers encouraging them to do so, they now find themselves with their hopes dashed.”