Cash crisis means a college rethink

Oct 1 2008 by Alison Rennie, Paisley Daily Express

PLANS for a multi-million pound college in Barrhead are being revised after it was revealed there is a £2.5 million funding gap.

Bosses at East Renfrewshire Council are blaming the funding shortage on inflation and are looking at how to keep costs down.

The college architects are revising the design and materials and council staff are also talking to European funding sources as well as the three other colleges involved – Cardonald, Langside and Reid Kerr – about extra funding.

It is intended that the project, right, will deliver further education, community and adult literacy and numeracy learning programmes for school leavers, S3 to S6 school pupils and for mature students.

There are also plans to include higher educational programmes, continuing professional development delivery and proposals for a business start up area for learners and a small business advice centre.

A council spokesperson said: “Inflation has caused the cost of the college to go up so we are looking at the budget again.

“There is no threat to the college, we definitely want it to go ahead, we just want to bring down the costs and are looking at alternative ways of bridging the gap.

“We are desperate to make it happen but we have to be realistic.

“We will need to wait and see whether this delays the project, we are doing everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

The proposed college centre and learning resource is a key project in the £113 million regeneration of Barrhead and includes the provision of a new college and integrated public library and learning service centre in Barrhead town centre.