College support (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

College support

11:55am Friday 10th July 2009

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Sir, – Re Stockton Sixth Form College. This site was one of a number of national colleges which had projects put on hold despite being “shovel ready” for a long time.

The college had everything ready to start work when the Department of Education and Skills ran out of money.

At a Westminster Hall debate in March 2009, my colleague, Dr John Pugh, Liberal Democrat MP for Southport, called for immediate action: “Ministers have raised expectations by announcing that capital projects will be brought forward. Colleges worked to meet the expectations and face serious financial strains and uncertainty as to whether the building programme will ever get going.”

Colleges were led up a garden path of hope and left in limbo by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) whose chief executive quit over the mess.

Stockton Sixth Form College found it was not one of the 13 of 144 colleges that got funding to go ahead. It will make some improvements to its campus but not on the scale that it had planned.

This is another Government mess. Stockton Liberal Democrats ask why the college was left high and dry by the funding council and ask for rightful compensation of the college for its effort and expenditure.

JACQUIE BELL (Mrs ) Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokeswoman, Stockton South.

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