FENLAND: Call for action after body blow dealt to �70 million new campus
FURIOUS education, council and business leaders last night pledged immediate support to our campaign to get the �70 million super college for Fenland back on track. Even though contracts had been awarded and work was about to start, funding proposals a ne
FURIOUS education, council and business leaders last night pledged immediate support to our campaign to get the �70 million super college for Fenland back on track.
Even though contracts had been awarded and work was about to start, funding proposals a new campus near March and agreed with the Learning and Skills Council have collapsed.
Support from across Cambridgeshire and beyond was promised as we launched our controversial "Where's Our Bloody College?" campaign and petition.
David Pomfret, principal of the College of West Anglia who will head the new campus planned for March, called on the people of Fenland to rise up and lobby for the college to go ahead.
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"It is important that the people of Fenland make their views known to the Government and we fully support this petition," he said.
The emotive tone of the campaign was agreed in meetings this week between Editor John Elworthy and Fenland Council Leader Geoff Harper.
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"Geoff wanted a 'Sun' type headline for the campaign- and is happy now he's got one," said Mr Elworthy.
"We want this campaign to get noticed, and quickly, and if it raises some hackles so be it. Fenland has found itself suddenly having to fight and fight again for something we all thought was cut and dried."
Cllr Harper said: "We are very angry and I urge the people of Fenland to support this campaign and to demand of the Government: Where's Our Bloody College?
"We have spent the last 10 years driving the regeneration of Fenland's economy and a major element of our regeneration plans has been the College of West Anglia.
"We are appalled that the Government should be considering axing funding at the 11th hour, less than a month before work was due to start."
