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City College hit by public sector funding cuts

7 May 2010

While the impact of Government cuts in Higher Education has been widely reported, the Government's decision to cut Adult Education funding by around 20% has almost passed unnoticed. Every FE College in Sussex has been hit by significant reductions in Government funding for next year, and City College Brighton and Hove is no exception. City College Principal Phil Frier said:

'This is the biggest reduction in funding for over 15 years. We are experiencing a 20% cut in our Adult Education budget for 2010/11, as well as a 10% reduction in our funding for 16-19 year olds. Altogether it adds up to around £1.8m less next year, and obviously that means that we have to look very closely at the way we operate both now and for the future. Some of our Adult programmes will no longer be funded by public money, and that means that these programmes will disappear unless people are willing to pay higher fees.'

The Government funding reductions have forced the college to identify savings, and as a result the College's Corporation have had to take steps to reduce costs whilst at the same time seeking to protect teaching and learning services to students. This has led the College to conclude that the right course of action is to close the Connaught building as a venue and to actively seek alternative use for this Grade II listed building with the support of the Local Council and other community groups with a view to continued community use. Robin Morley, Chairman of the City College Governors, said:

'Our College is very much a staff-based industry, and we are developing a reputation for high quality vocational education, and in order to protect as many teaching jobs as possible, we are having to look at other ways of making savings. As with other public bodies, that involves some hard choices around making our Estate more efficient. That is why the College's Corporation has made the regrettable decision to close the Connaught Centre, and to look for alternative venues in the Hove area, so that we can continue to provide adult education across the city in the future. We have given very serious consideration to all of the impacts, and have concluded that the best way to protect the level and breadth of courses we offer is through a mix of alternative lower cost provision in the Hove area, and by increased utilisation of the centrally-located Pelham campus. '

Currently, only 30% of students studying at Connaught live in the wider Hove postcode area, and less than 10% live within 1 mile of the centre. Nonetheless, the College plans to maintain a presence in the west of the City and it has been decided that this can be achieved more cost effectively by working in partnership with other venues in and around Hove. The College is exploring the options of running day time classes at the Sussex County Cricket Ground and other Hove venues and evening classes at Blatchington Mill School. The remainder of classes will operate at the College's North Laine-based campus on Pelham Street in the heart of the city.

For City College media enquiries, please call Brian Bell, Marketing Communications Officer, on 01273 667788 Ext. 488 or email bb1@ccb.ac.uk website www.ccb.ac.uk

Notes to Editors: The decision to close Connaught has not been taken lightly by City College, and is only one of the College Corporation's responses to the dramatic reduction in public spending funding of FE colleges. As yet, there have been no discussions regarding the longer term future of the Connaught building. By using alternative venues there will be a saving of around £300,000 per annum, and this will help the College to protect jobs and make fewer redundancies. The College will continue to meet its maintenance responsibilities until a new use for the building is determined.

The Connaught building was deemed unsuitable for primary or secondary education in the 1970s and now requires significant further investment. The building is both costly to maintain and run and it requires at least £1m investment to prevent further structural deterioration. The recent Grade II listing has increased the maintenance burden by specifying the need to use specific building materials in any restoration. The risks associated with being unable to invest in the fabric of the buildings are high. Most of the window panes and frames need replacing to prevent them from falling out and the damp penetration needs immediate attention to stop further damage to the plaster and brickwork. Without these essential repairs and the replacement of the windows, the building will increasingly become a health and safety risk. The grade II listed status means that any changes to the building are subject to planning permission and the cost of replacement windows and the guttering are significant if the architectural character of the building is to be retained.

About City College Brighton and Hove: Situated in the heart of Brighton, City College Brighton and Hove has become an international centre of vocational excellence. Every year 2,000 full-time, 10,000 part time, over 500 Higher Education and 250 14-16 year old students as well as many international and European students choose City College as their place of further and higher education training. In addition, the College provides training to over 2,000 businesses via its 'City Business Skills' department which focuses on employer training needs. Offering over 700 courses from basic level right through to business and postgraduate training, City College is working with its partners to develop the workforce of the future.