- 01/05/2024
- Posted by: FAB Labour
- Category: News
Alex Just, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Farnham and Bordon, has called on Hampshire County Council politicians and officials to be honest about the circumstances surrounding the closure of the £3.8 million Bordon Future Skills Centre, after only seven years of operation.
In a letter to the leader and CEO of the local authority, he says that key questions in the saga, which will see the state-of-the-art training centre close its doors in the summer, are unanswered. Mr Just says that until it is clear what underlying problems led to the failure of the centre no decision should be made about what happens next.
After discussions with the centre’s principal, Anthony Bravo OBE, and staff and students at the facility, Mr Just is convinced that the public and local stakeholders need to know more about what promises Hampshire County Council made to Basingstoke College of Technology (BCT) before the Centre opened in 2017.
In particular, the “very poor” local transport infrastructure needs to be addressed, given that this was publicly cited by Principal Bravo as one reason BCT struggled to recruit enough students.
“It is shocking that, at a time when the construction industry is crying out for skilled workers, we cannot train local young people to take what are potentially well-paid jobs in the building trades”, he said.
“Whitehill and Bordon residents have sadly got used to hearing big but ultimately empty promises from those responsible for delivering growth and opportunities for their community.
“The fact Conservative Councillors on Hampshire County Council were unable to engage with the Department of Education to save the Centre tells you everything you need to know about this Tory government’s ramshackle and lacklustre approach to education and skills.”
“The closure is hugely disruptive for the students and staff, and those responsible should be keen to explain to the community what has gone wrong, yet there has been nothing but stony silence from Hampshire County Council in public and private”.
Bordon Future Skills Centre in Hampshire opened in 2017 in a new £3.8m building, funded by the M3 Local Enterprise Partnership. It was leased to the Basingstoke College of Technology who invested £200,000 in the fit-out of the building and offered training in a range of construction trades, such as carpentry, plastering and plumbing.
The centre was expected to capitalise on the projected construction boom in and around Bordon, where thousands of new homes are due to be built on former Ministry of Defence land, together with supporting public infrastructure.
But sadly, the construction companies responsible for building in the area did not commit to employing enough local apprentices who would have been trained at the centre and the town’s weak transport links made it difficult for students from further afield to access the facility.
The capacity of the Future Skills Centre was approximately 272 pupils, but its current roll is just 29, with four staff. These students and staff will be relocated to the main Basingstoke campus after the end of this academic year, and Principal Bravo has commendably offered funding to help pay for the increased travel costs for those affected by the move.
In his letter to Hampshire County Council, Alex Just says that it is incumbent on the local authority, who have assumed ownership of the building following the demise of the M3 Enterprise Partnership, to investigate what went wrong and what can be learned before a decision is taken about what happens next at the facility.
There are several important questions which Hampshire County Council (HCC) need to be answered, he says:
- When were officials at HCC informed about BCT’s intention to exercise the break clause in its lease for the Centre?
- Who made the decision to delay the announcement about the Centre closing until after the public meeting for residents hosted by the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company on 16th April 2024?
- What commitments were made by HCC to BCT about improving local transport links before the centre opened in 2017?
- What efforts were made by HCC to improve local transport links to the Centre before and after it opened in 2017?
Before it was announced that the centre was closing:
- Did any HCC councillors or staff have any correspondence or meetings with any Ministers or Officials at the Department of Education about securing central government funding to keep the centre open? If so, what reason(s) were given by the Department of Education for not providing financial support for the centre?
- Did any HCC councillors or staff have any correspondence or meetings with any Ministers or Officials at the Department of Transport about securing central government funding to improve transport links to the centre? If so, what reason(s) were given by the Department of Transport for not providing financial support to improve transport links to the centre?
- Did any HCC councillors or staff have any correspondence or meetings with any Ministers or Officials at the Department of Local Government, Communities and Levelling Up about securing central government funding to secure funding to keep the Centre open or improve transport links to the centre? If so, what reason(s) were given by the Department of LGLU for note providing financial support for the centre and/or to improve transport links to the centre?
“Whitehill and Bordon is supposed to be one of the most significant new towns to be built in England in over 35 years,” added Alex Just, “but it is in danger of being left behind by Rishi Sunak’s government which seems to care more about managing internal Tory party drama than investing in the infrastructure that would allow for well-thought-out, well-loved communities.
“A Labour government will revamp the new town concept, delivering the affordable homes that our communities need, with beautiful green spaces, reliable transport links and bustling high streets.”
This article was originally published by The Farnham Herald and be viewed here.
