Following the decision of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to halt funding decisions for college rebuilding, Bath’s MP Don Foster is one of the joint sponsors of a Parliamentary motion urging ministers to intervene as a matter of urgency.

Commenting, Don said that this decision means a significant delay to the City of Bath College’s plans to remodel their facilities and create new construction jobs in the city.  Putting such a large-scale construction project on hold flies in the face of the Government’s claims of investing to kick start the economy.  What’s actually happening is the opposite.”

Colleges like ours have had to fork out large sums of their own money to make their applications to the LSC.  This delay is putting even greater strain on their already tight budgets. At a time when ministers should be looking to support the building industry, large scale projects are being put at risk. 

The Government must now ensure that the LSC starts granting approval to existing applications as a matter of urgency.