Brighton college staff and supporters to hold demo today

Further education college staff in Brighton are planning to hold a demo and march at lunchtime today (Saturday 31 May).

They are opposed to spending cuts at City College Brighton and Hove.

Posters headed “Save City College – people before buildings” have advertised the demo which is due to assemble outside the Pelham Tower at 1pm today.

Those taking part plan to march to the Clock Tower in Brighton to try to drum up support for their position.

They are concerned about spending cuts totalling more than £1.5 million and the associated threat to jobs.

Unison, one of the two trade unions that represents staff at the college, said this week: “The college has spent some 12 to 18 months ‘hiding’ from the trade unions what can only be described as a growing financial crisis.

“The Funding Agency has described them as ‘inadequate’ and called in KPMG to ‘advise’.

“Within the past few weeks, ‘out of the blue’, unions and staff were informed that £1.5 (now increased to £1.6) million will be cut from the staffing budget – over 100 people will be sacked.

“If the college had involved us, at the start, we could have used our considerable experience to assist in mitigating the problem.

“Instead, their ineptitude, and secrecy, puts both parties on an inevitable collision course, in that the sackings have to be made by the summer.

“Unison and UCU (representing the lecturers) are now balloting our members for strike action as this is now the only way in which to alter the employer’s position.

“Our ballot takes place over the next few weeks. If you know anyone at City College, make sure they are aware that the whole branch is in support.”

City College principal Lynn Thackway said: “Although we understand and respect the fact that some members of staff feel strongly and wish to protest against proposed changes to staffing at City College, it needs to be understood that colleges across the country are facing significant cuts to core funding.

“Organisational imperatives are also being driven by a change to the curriculum, in terms of the revised guided learning hours limits for programmes of study and the requirement to incorporate teaching GCSE maths and English or functional skills to all full-time learners who have not yet gained these qualifications.

“Other changes which impact on us are reductions over the past two years on adult funding and changes to the way we are funded for higher education and a proposed 17.5 per cent cut in funding for 18-year-olds.

“It is in this context that the college is having to make savings of £1.5 million and is going through a staff restructure which is a painful process for everyone involved.

“The board of governors have been instructed by external auditors, our bank and the Skills Funding Agency that a recovery plan needs to be implemented and expect the senior leadership team to deliver this.

“The ratio of staff to income at City College is among the highest in the FE sector and the board is clear that this reduction in staff costs is necessary in order to meet our obligations to safeguard the college’s future.

“Failure to do this would have significant consequences and put the college’s future at risk. The FE commissioner further supports these actions. To do nothing is not an option.

“The whole leadership team at the college fully appreciate what an anxious time it is for staff which is why we are currently going through a rigorous and detailed consultation process with staff and their union representatives.

“The aim of the consultation period is to reach mutual agreement to minimise the overall number of job losses at the college.

“We also hope that the restructure will create opportunities for staff to take on new roles or aim for promotion.

Lynn Thackway

“Our capital development plans have no connection with the need to reduce staffing costs.

“These are separate budgets and even if the plans were halted immediately, the savings would still need to be made.

“Anyone familiar with the current college estate will acknowledge that it does not provide the environment that our staff and students deserve.

“It is badly laid out with poor space utilisation and is an aging estate which is costing an increasing amount each year to maintain.

“It is an imperative that we provide a modern, flexible and sustainable teaching and learning environment that meets the needs of the city’s future workforce and ensures that the quality of teaching and learning can further improve.

“City College is very aware that there have been concerns around our proposals in regards to learning and intensive support for students.

“We would like to reassure students and their parents that supporting all of our learners, including our most vulnerable learners, remains at the heart of what we do.

“We are developing a new model that will enable the support we deliver to be more coherent and cost effective but are absolutely committed to providing the support our learners need.

“Among the outcomes of the consultation process so far has been a reduction in the number of at-risk disability support posts, the retention of our counselling service and the creation of a new mental health and safeguarding co-ordinator role.

“These changes were as a direct result of feedback from staff and we will continue to listen and make these changes.

“Also as a result of the current internal consultation at City College and ongoing discussions with staff and learners, we have agreed in principle that we will continue to offer our ALDD provision (courses for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities) in September.

“Currently we’re working with the ALDD team to consider new delivery models which we feel will be sustainable and that also offer our learners opportunities for supported working and volunteering placements.

“Once we’ve agreed the detail of the planned programmes, we will share this with our staff and learners and we look forward to launching our new programme soon.”