Cuts to college funding “deeply disappointing”

The Scottish Funding Council has communicated that £26 million announced in the 2023-24 Budget will no longer be coming to the college sector following Scottish Government confirmation that the funding is now “not available for distribution and has been identified as a necessary saving”.

Shona Struthers, CEO of Colleges Scotland, said:

“Colleges are deeply disappointed and dismayed by this U-turn from the Scottish Government. Removing the equivalent of £1million from each college is completely inexplicable – colleges are already cash strapped, making cuts to courses and winding down parts of their offer due to a lack of funding, not a lack of ambition from colleges or demand from students or employers.

“Since December last year, numerous Ministers and Cabinet Secretaries have repeatedly assured the college sector and Scottish Parliament that this funding was coming in 2023-24. Yet, less than five months on from the government’s budget announcement, this promised money has now been withdrawn.

“Ministers are relying on colleges to provide hundreds of thousands of students with training and education each year but with less and less funding – it simply can’t be done any more. Colleges are needed more than ever to mitigate poverty in communities across the country, provide life-changing opportunities for people, and create the future workforce which will tackle the climate emergency. Removing funding previously planned for colleges is the wrong approach in delivering any of these ambitions.”

The £26million, and £20million for universities, was announced by John Swinney in December 2023 as part of the Scottish Budget, and was to be distributed to colleges and universities during 2023/24:

Statement to the Scottish Parliament – 15 December 2022: Budget statement: 2023 to 2024 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

“We must have a skills, training and research environment that enables our people and businesses to realise their potential. For that reason we have increased the resources available to the College and university sectors by £26 million and £20 million to support this process.”

Budget document – Scottish Budget: 2023-24 (www.gov.scot)

• increase resource funding to our universities and colleges by £46 million to ensure we have a highly qualified and highly skilled workforce.

Budget Scrutiny 2023 – 2024: The Education, Children and Young People Committee took evidence on the Scottish Government’s Budget 2023-24 from Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, about 11.01.00

Education, Children and Young People Committee | Scottish Parliament TV

“… When you look at the resource budget for 23/24 there is an additional £26million so there is a real commitment from the Government.”