Plans for a multi-million pound Shropshire university with its hub in Shrewsbury have been dealt a blow after a bid for funding was refused.
Members of a county-wide education partnership – including Shropshire Council, both of Shrewsbury’s post-16 colleges, Walford and North Shropshire College and Ludlow College – had hoped to use the cash to create a central hub in Shrewsbury, linking to other centres from around the county. But they have been told their application to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has been rejected.
But despite the setback, members remain optimistic about opportunities for developing higher education in the county, and are due to meet at the end of the month to decide their next move.
Earlier in the year the Chronicle revealed that the partnership had submitted a statement of intent for a share of a £150 million funding pot through the government’s New University Challenge programme. The programme aims to create more higher education centres by 2014, and this summer universities nationwide were invited to make a bid.
Liz Nicholson, director of children and young people’s services, said: “We were unsuccessful in this round of funding – only six of the 23 statements of intent from across the country are being taken forward to the business planning stage. However, we will continue discussing proposals for developing higher education provision and are optimistic about developing further higher education training opportunities across the county in the future.”
Dr Geoffrey Davies OBE, chairman of Shropshire Business Board, said: “Although the Higher Education Funding Council’s decision to not pursue Shropshire’s bid is a setback, the work that went into preparing Shropshire’s bid has really focused minds on the future education and skills needs of the county’s businesses.”
A spokesman for the HEFCE confirmed its reasons for turning down the bid included the fact that education services in the area were already good, and there was some uncertainty over projected housing growth in the current economic climate.
By Charlotte Hester