- Cymraeg
- English
 |
Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
 |
Local colleges will make cuts despite new cash boost says Assembly Member
April 29, 2009 12:00 AM
Research by the Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black has shown that much of the £8.93 million for post-16 education will fail to filter through to local colleges and as a result, job losses and closures are still very much on the cards.
The extra money was made available following intense pressure from colleges, lecturers, students and opposition Assembly Members but does not go anywhere near meeting the funding gap faced by colleges. Even those institutions who have had their budgets restored to last year's levels still have to find money for pay increases and staff increments.
Mr. Black said:
"Further Education colleges in the South Wales West region were among the hardest hit by the original cuts happily voted through by local Labour and Plaid AMs.
"However, even though those self-same Labour and Plaid AMs have been forced into a humiliating and public u-turn by a broad-based campaign, they have failed to make good the budget shortfalls. Swansea still faces a £750,000 shortfall, Bridgend has to find £1 million whilst Gorseinon has not had any extra money, it is closing the Canolfan y Bont outreach centre in Pontarddulais, cutting adult learning and considering redundancies.
"In Bridgend, Neath, Port Talbot, and Swansea our FE colleges are still under-funded in the face of recent increases in pay, energy costs, pensions, and transport. Sadly, courses will still be cut, sites closed, students turned away. All of this comes at a time when education and the obtaining of skills is more important than ever.
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats
-
Help out or donate
-
Tell us what you think