Frank Le Duc: The Vote

Interim principal Monica Box said that City College had a financial plan in place and would put students first

The interim principal of City College said that she would get its finances back on track as quickly as possible. And students and their studies would remain the college’s top priority.
Monica Box took charge just over a week ago. She said steps had already been taken to put in place a financial recovery plan.
She is an experienced principal and financial turnaround specialist who said that she would get a grip of the spending controls needed to bring the college back within budget.

“It’s a very promising task,” she said, “because the college has real opportunities to grow even in this difficult funding climate.”
The number and range of courses – and the staff needed as a result – would be reviewed, with the unions kept informed, she said. But her aim would be to achieve “efficiencies” before deciding whether more jobs had to go.
Monica acknowledged that a small number of students out of the thousands at City College were not entered for an exam last year and said; “Clearly what happened with the 37 students in terms of examinations this year was not just regrettable but completely counter to anything this college would ever want to see again, but learners, their programmes and their assessments are our priorities and they can be confident that that’s how the college will proceed.”
But with a financial recovery plan in place and a tighter grip on spending controls, she said, the college would work hard to pay suppliers on time and to file its outstanding accounts for the past financial year, having missed a December deadline.
“The prospect for a new senior team coming in, say, six months’ time is a good prospect.
“We’ve got good staff here. We’ve got some really good staff and clearly engaged students. The first thing that struck me when I arrived at the college was its friendly, vibrant atmosphere and the positive attitude of staff and students.

“Brighton is such a young, forward-looking city that’s rich in potential so to be the main further education provider in a location like that makes the college incredibly well-placed to go from strength to strength. I think the ‘engine room of the local economy’ description really hits the nail on the head.
“Brighton and Hove has such a young demographic, local businesses will be relying on the college to provide them with well-trained employees so I very much see the college being at the heart of future growth.”
The rebuilding of the Pelham Street campus had not been cancelled but would not go ahead in the immediate future while the finances were stabilised. But work on the £9 million new construction centre at the City College East campus, in Wilson Avenue, would start soon.
But the college would continue to sponsor City Academy, formerly Whitehawk Primary School.
Monica added; “Most of my work is with colleges that have recovery plans or are about to have one. Here, there is a financial recovery plan. There have been issues, otherwise the college wouldn’t have a financial recovery plan, and they were around financial controls.
“The key issues were less around income than how the income was used – the control of that income if you like. It’s not about it being spent wrongly but about how it was controlled.

“The sector is a turbulent sector in terms of funding at the moment and there are reductions for all colleges in their 19-plus incomes.”
She said that the college had annual income of about £20 million – and it expected that figure to be cut. She added; “At this stage we’re not looking at a savings figure, we’re looking at efficiencies and meeting our plans.
“We will be looking at staffing but we would have to look at that anyway. We have to look at the curriculum first and we will be sharing that with the unions.”