Saturday 5 February 2011

Thanet College Squeezed.

05/02/2011
Cllr R Nicholson
TDC Shadow Cabinet member Economic Development and Regeneration

Thanet College Squeezed.
For days now we have listened to the crocodile tears and hand wringing from Tories about the closure of Pfizer with the terrible loss of jobs. And yes this will have major negative effects to Thanet and East Kent but elsewhere even more cruel and destructive actions are taking place which will negatively impact the life chances of Thanet and East Kent residents, especially the younger generation.
Over the next four years, due to Tory government spending cuts, Thanet College will have to impose savings of £1.9 million with Just over £1 million in the coming year alone.
Why… because funding has been cut for young people, funding for apprenticeships is being cut, despite the rhetoric from our millionaire Prime Minister. National funding rates frozen at current levels, so effectively a near 5% cut.
Most important is of course the removal of the educational maintenance allowance which currently 80% of Thanet College students receive, money for book, travel and other needs.
For adults, national funding for skills provision is being cut by 4.3%.
Fee remission rules changes so only many more will have to pay, or give up in many cases, full fees.
Ring fenced funding for help programmes for the unemployed to get back to work to cease from end of March this year.

3 comments:

  1. Michael, I got the impression that it was the Tories who were trying to do something about the Pfizer problem and the negativity was all from the Labour side. Now you come out in your true colours with your hand wringing and crocodile tears accusation towards the Conservatives. Totally unjustified and it has just cost you a book mad family who spent several hundred pounds in your shop over the last year.

    Suggest you stick to your Ramsgate history stories and photgraphs in future and leave the politics to the Moores and Harts of this world. You need local goodwill!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous I think you may be getting a bit confused here, Saturday night or something, this is a blog where I put press releases and you have just read a Labour press release that I have posted.

    I also post Conservative group press releases, press releases from the local MPs, the council etc here, this doesn’t mean I agree with the all.

    If you don’t agree with it I suggest you take it up with Richard Nicholson who wrote it.

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  3. Michael, apologies gladly offered for I would miss your shop. I guess I should have realised that such negativity must have originated from one of our local Labour group, perhaps even down to the individual concerned.

    I am glad we have sorted that and I really must go easy on the port after dinner in future. Mind you, it is a weekly and not nightly treat.

    Good to see our local Labour coucillors really making a contribution to the think tank on the Pfizer issue but, with the Nottingham/Hart saga dominating the blogs and even local press letters, I guess they have to try and divert attention elsewhere somehow.

    ReplyDelete

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