Elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire earlier this year, David Skaith has recently written to the new Secretary of State for Education requesting an extension to the time limit attached to the Department for Education’s (DfE) funding for the £22m rebuild at Harrogate College.
The Mayor’s letter to Bridget Phillipson is being supported by a host of other influential figures including Tom Gordon MP, the recently elected Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough, and David Hughes CBE, the Chief Executive for the Association of Colleges. A number of local headteachers, employers and organisations have all also added their signatures in support.
Designed to upgrade the college’s facilities so they can meet the area’s current and emerging skills needs, the campus redevelopment was due to start this year and complete in 2025. However, the launch of a Judicial Review has knocked the timetable back, jeopardising the DfE funding.
In his letter, Mr Skaith said: “I’m writing on this occasion to request an extension to the funding timeline for Harrogate College to complete the much-needed rebuild they have planned through your Department’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund.
“North Yorkshire Council had granted the college planning permission…and preparations were being made for construction to begin. However, an application for Judicial Review has been made by a local individual opposed to the rebuild. This is highly unusual given the new college is being built on the current site.
“The council remains confident that the project will still be granted planning permission, albeit at a delayed pace. This delay does mean, however, that the funding underpinning the rebuild is now threatened as a result of the expected completion date being delayed until September 2026.
“Missing this valuable window of opportunity to redevelop Harrogate’s only general further education college would be a damaging outcome for local people, employers and the regional economy.”
Principal of Harrogate College, Danny Wild said: “I’m immensely grateful to David Skaith and others who have signed this letter supporting our planned rebuild.
“I hope the levels of local and regional support for the project are recognised by the new Secretary of State for Education and our request for an extension to the funding timeline is approved.
“The redevelopment of the campus will present new opportunities for training and education that will help deliver the growth aspirations for North Yorkshire. Losing this valuable opportunity to redevelop Harrogate’s only further education college will have a long-term detrimental impact on our local people, employers and the regional economy.”
Local MP, Tom Gordon, who has also separately written to the Education Secretary to urge for an extension, said: “Colleges, and the valuable work they do training our workforce and opening up opportunities for people of all ages, are close to my heart.
“We are very fortunate to have a great college, serving the area, here in Harrogate – but in a rapidly-changing world it simply cannot afford to stand still.
“Harrogate College needs this redevelopment to ensure it has the facilities to keep delivering the evolving skills our region needs as we go forward – particularly in the rapidly growing green skills sector.”
The redevelopment would see the main college building replaced with a sustainable, modern property equipped with a host of facilities including a mock hospital ward and digital technology suite.
The proposals would also see a new renewable energy technology centre opened on the campus, to help the college expand its work in the fast-growing sustainability sector.
