Pressure to end freeze on work

Jun 9 2009 by David Black, The Journal

PRESSURE is growing to lift a freeze on £202m-worth of college building work which is seen as vital to the future economic regeneration of North East towns.

The flagship projects – in Ashington and South Tyneside – were put on hold three months ago pending a review of promised funding by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).

It was hoped the LSC would announce last week which stalled schemes will go ahead – but instead college principals were sent a letter saying the LSC’s national council had postponed the decision.

The Northumberland College has a £100m plan to build modern campuses in three locations in the county.

Building work was due to start later this year on a £50m campus on the former Ashington Hospital site, which had secured regional LSC approval and outline planning permission.

The project has been caught up in the delay, along with South Tyneside College which has a £102m plan for new campuses in Hebburn and Westoe.

Yesterday South Tyneside Council chief executive, Irene Lucas, called on the LSC to put the college’s plans at the top of its priority list because of its vital importance to the overall regeneration of the borough.

And it was also revealed that Wansbeck MP Denis Murphy is to meet LSC chief executive, Geoff Russell, to express his concerns over the threat to the capital building plans drawn up by the Northumberland College.

Mrs Lucas said: “South Tyneside College currently ploughs more than £100m a year into the local economy through jobs, overseas investment and student spending.

“A new, state-of-the-art college will help us to remain at the top of the international training map and will continue to bring people, and more importantly their money, into this area.

“It’s no secret that South Tyneside is one of the most deprived boroughs in the UK and we need to ensure that we have a training and education facility that can match these needs, particularly in the current economic climate.”

Jim Bennett, principal and chief executive of South Tyneside College, said: “We are extremely grateful to have Irene’s support. The delays to our plans are becoming increasingly frustrating and we just want some answers from the LSC as to when we can go ahead.”

Northumberland College spokesman Chris Jennings said: “We will continue to press our case for much-needed capital funding. As the only county in the country not to have benefited from the LSC’s capital funding, and a college with facilities aged over 50 years, we believe we have a very strong case.”