Autumn wait on cash for college

Kidderminster College will learn in the autumn whether a funding bid for a £15million extension has been successful, it has been announced.

Cash for the project is hanging in the balance after the Learning and Skills Council suspended investment on more than 100 schemes across the country.

The college is expected to be included in the second wave of sites to learn their fate at the start of the new year academic year.

It is hoped the LSC will stump up £13m to build the college extension and a learning centre for 14 to 19-year-olds on the former Sladen School site in Hurcott Road. The remainder of the cost would be met from borrowing by the college.

The centre was planned to open in September 2011 but because of the freeze this could be set back to September 2012 if funding cannot be agreed soon.

The college's marketing manager Denise Brownridge said: "It just a waiting game now. We are expecting to be in the next batch of colleges in the autumn."