Colleges in row on merger bid failure; Pull-out from plans sparks accusation.

Byline: By Graeme Whitfield

COLLEGE bosses have laid the blame for a merger breakdown with their counterparts across the river - and hinted that other bodies may also have been involved.

Gateshead College principal David Cheetham surprised Newcastle College's Jackie Fisher at a meeting last week by telling her that he was pulling out of a study looking into a merger between the two institutions.

The colleges had only announced merger talks in July, with Mr Cheetham and Ms Fisher issuing a joint statement saying that coming together would create a "world-class" institution. Now Ms Fisher had said that Gateshead pulled out under pressure from "a small number of their stakeholders" and has accused Mr Cheetham of acting too soon.

She said: "Both colleges have been working on the merger since autumn 2005. Governors and staff at Newcastle College are very disappointed that this work has not resulted in a robust feasibility study to take both colleges forward.

"Newcastle College's position continues to be that a merger between the two colleges is the correct way forward as it gives both colleges increased financial stability at a time of major changes in funding and policy for further education. Gateshead College is particularly vulnerable to the changes ahead as it has a relatively small number of 16 to 18-year-old full time students.

"The other major benefits of the merger were that it would have reduced wasteful competition and would have provided fantastic opportunities for students on both sides of the river."

Along with other colleges in the region, Newcastle and Gateshead have suffered a tumultuous two years because of changes in Government funding priorities.

Both have had to cancel courses and have seen lecturers hold strikes during that time.

Ms Fisher said she was "very surprised" at Gateshead's decision to pull out of talks "because as far as we were concerned no rational decision could be reached by either college until the evidence in the feasibility study had been considered."

But she said that she hoped the merger could be revived at a later date.

Newcastle has been considered one of the country's best colleges since a glowing Ofsted report two years ago. It is looking at a merger with two colleges in Yorkshire and Lancashire where Newcastle's strengths would be used to help their struggling counterparts. Sources close to Gateshead College have suggested that Newcastle had acted aggressively and seen the merger more as a takeover - but this was denied by Newcastle yesterday. Mr Cheetham said last night: "Our board of governors took a considered decision that we needed to concentrate on the local agenda of Gateshead and focus our attention on our strong local partnership with schools, universities and employers. We are a financially-strong college, LSC category A and achieving significant growth over the last five years in the recruitment of 16 to 19-year-olds."

CAPTION(S):

NO MERGER: The planned merger between Newcastle College, above left, and, right, Gateshead College is now off.' ACCUSED: David Cheetham.' SURPRISED: Jackie Fisher.