City of Wolverhampton College told to tackle debt and improve buildings

The Department for Education's Black Country Area Review highlighted 'significant issues' around the college's dilapidated Paget Road site, which it says must be urgently addressed in order to meet 'current and future needs'.

It has also been told to 'deliver greater financial resilience', despite having made 'significant strides to improve its financial position' in recent years.

College bosses say both issues are in the process of being dealt with. Negotiations are taking place with Wolverhampton Council and the Black Country LEP that could see the college move to a new city centre learning quarter in three years.

And a bid has been submitted for Government transition funding to help clear the college's historical debt, which relates to a £5.8m business loan and £14m that was spent on developing the Wellington Road campus.

Claire Boliver, principal of the City of Wolverhampton College, said: "We still make a surplus every year and are working to pay off our historical debt.

"We have a bid in with the transition unit, although we don't currently know how much money we are likely to get or whether the funding will be in the form of a loan or a grant.

"There is an acknowledgement from the unit that they want to help us to move forward. They see that the city of Wolverhampton needs a college and that the quality that we offer is high."

The college's bid for funding will be formally submitted in January. Details of funding plans are unlikely to be released by the DfE until early next summer.

The college is currently the subject of a financial notice to improve issued by the Skills Funding Agency. Last year the college received £25.97 million in Government funding. It is rated 'Good' by Ofsted and achievement levels have sky-rocketed over the last three years.

Moving from its Paget Road site has been a priority for the college for several years, with bosses branding it no longer fit for purpose.

It had earmarked a section of the old Royal Hospital site as a possible new campus, but never pursued an interest due to the high cost of the land.

Four years ago the Paget Road plot was valued at around £7m.

Wolverhampton Council's feasibility study into a new city centre learning quarter is due to be completed in February.