At work

West Norfolk LG

 West Anglia College facing job cuts
ANNABELLE DICKSON
Last updated: 24/06/2010 11:00:00

Jobs to go at West Anglia college
More than 40 jobs could go at the College of West Anglia to cope with government spending cuts and a £21m maintenance bill, it emerged last night.

Both teaching and non-teaching jobs are under threat at campuses in King's Lynn, Wisbech, Downham Market and Milton, near Cambridge.

It comes just months after the college was forced to cancel its £100m campus redevelopment because the Learning and Skills Council could not meet its pledges.

College principal David Pomfret said government funding would “undoubtedly fall substantially over the next few years” and that the amount of training the college could deliver and the funding they would receive would come under pressure.

“It is against this backdrop, coupled with the £21 million needed in the coming years to maintain our buildings, that this decision has been made”, he said.

The cancellation of the new buildings in King's Lynn and March mean the existing sites now require substantial investment to ensure they are fit for purpose.

“With no significant central government funding available for the building work, and with other funding sources under increased financial pressure, we will have to fund much of any campus refurbishment ourselves”, he added.

A total of 43.5 posts are set to go. But the number of individuals affected is expected to be around 31 when vacant posts are taken into account.

The proposals could include the creation of 21 new posts across all three campuses.

Mr Pomfret said: “We are committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies as far as possible. We will look first for volunteers, seek to utilise natural wastage opportunities, investigate posts filled by agency workers and consider requests by individuals for reduced hours.”

A spokesman for the college said no courses would be directly affected by the college announcement.

West Norfolk Council leader Nick Daubney said it was a big blow for the area.

“We have been working with the college very closely to try and come up with a solution to come up with a funding stream to help them with the maintenance. It is an enormous task and help is needed.

“I am very sorry they have had to make that decision because the college is central to all the future plans for the regeneration of the town.”

Last month Norwich City College announced it could axe up to 100 members of staff and reduce the number of schools from nine to six because of an estimated £5m of cuts in the coming three years.

In April Great Yarmouth College warned up to 50 full time posts could be made redundant as the Suffolk Road college was facing a budget gap of around £1m.

The University and College Union was unavailable for comment last night.

 

 

 

Contact West Norfolk LG branch here

Not a member?

If you're not a member of a union, join one now! Union members get a better deal at work all round. To find out more go to Join UNISON

Related Documents