THREE colleges in East Lancashire have been told they are to receive less cash.

Blackburn College, Burnley College and Accrington and Rossendale College are all to get less from the Further Education Funding Council.

But Nelson and Colne College and St Mary's College, Blackburn, both have slightly more.

The news was forecast in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph last month but figures for 1997/98 have only now been officially released.

Heads of the cash-starved colleges had been warned to tighten their belts.

Accrington and Rossendale College is to receive just under £8,000,000, down 2.2 per cent on last year.

Burnley College will get £5,700,000, 1.2 per cent less than last year.

Blackburn College, whose new principal Sheena Ewing takes over in September, has seen a drop of 0.2 per cent to just under £15,200,000. Nelson and Colne College will get nearly £5,700,000, an increase of 1.1 per cent, and St Mary's will have nearly £2,300,000, up 2 per cent.

The lecturers' union NATFHE has already called for the FEFC to rethink its allocation formula and has warned that cuts will push many colleges over the brink.

Michael Austin, principal at Accrington and Rossendale College, said: "We are looking at appealing.

"There has been no allowance for inflation and it comes at a very difficult time."

Blackburn College recently announced it was axing 12 jobs as part of £500,000 cuts.

The FEFC has distributed a total of £2.9 billion to colleges and sixth forms around the country, with 86 per cent of them receiving less.

It says colleges will have to make further savings of around 7.6 per cent in the year ahead because of the reduction in funding.

The FEFC's chief executive, professor David Melville, said: "This has been an exceptionally difficult funding round.

"We have done our best to be fair to all institutions but colleges everywhere are now facing considerable financial pressure and are having to make difficult decisions about where and how to make savings."

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