Concerns about the financial health of Carlisle College have been raised in a new government report published today.

The Cumbria Area Review has been exploring ways of ensuring the county's colleges are financially stable and can meet present and future skills and employer needs.

Today's report reveals that Carlisle College has been assessed as being "financially inadequate" since the review was completed and in November was served with a "notice of concern for financial health".

The college's acting principal Steve Salkeld says the methodology behind the government's funding agency financial assessment changed recently and impacted on its rating, moving it from "satisfactory" to "inadequate".

He added: "We were happy to engage in the area review process and there were no issues or surprises to come out of that."

College governors also recognised the need to explore potential mergers long before the recommendations emerged, Mr Salkeld explained.

"We have recognised as a college for some that that we did not have a secure sustainable future," he said.

Carlisle College's governors want to push ahead with an alternative merger than that set out in recommendations agreed by the area review steering group.

Group members included local colleges, the county council, and Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.

Recommendations agreed by the steering group were:

  • Lakes College at Lillyhall, near Workington, to merge with Carlisle College
  • Kendal College to stand alone
  • the merger of Barrow Sixth Form and Furness Colleges, which has been carried out
  • a joint venture between the local further education (FE) colleges and the University of Cumbria to support the implementation of the Cumbria Skills Investment Strategy and drive up skills and training
  • a new post-16 skills forum led by Cumbria County Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership.

The review also states that Carlisle College cannot remain as a standalone institution "in the longer term".

Despite this the report states that a "high quality sustainable FE presence is important" to address future needs of students and employers, particularly because of the expected growth in logistics, distribution and the city's airport.

The Cumbria Area Review is one of around 40 similar exercises taking place around the county examining the sustainability of FE and colleges.

See Wednesday's News & Star for further coverage.