City College Southampton: Plans to merge with Eastleigh and Fareham colleges

City College Southampton, would merge with Eastleigh and Fareham Colleges under government plans

Three further education colleges could merge as part of plans laid out by the Department for Education (DfE).

The proposals would see Southampton City College, Eastleigh College and Fareham College in Hampshire form a "single group structure".

It is the latest plan for City College which received emergency funding in 2020 because of its "financially weak" situation and £1.65m deficit.

All three colleges said they would consider the government proposals.

Three previous merger proposals for City College - including one with Eastleigh College - were abandoned or rejected by the government.

The further education college, which caters for 16 to 18-year-olds as well as adult learners, was told to improve its financial situation after a report showed it had £5.86m of loans outstanding.

The DfE said it wanted to create a "financially strong, responsive, high quality and ambitious" network of further education campuses.

"High quality further education is at the heart of our plans to make sure people across Southampton have access to first-rate opportunities to upskill and train, while delivering the skilled workforce needed to support local communities and the economy," a spokesperson for the DfE said.

"These proposals are the next step in ensuring they are able to continue to do so, while responding to local needs and remaining financially sustainable."

In a statement, City College said: "We have been and continue to be committed to working collaboratively with the DfE, stakeholders and partners to achieve an organisation which will deliver high quality, sustainable further education in Southampton and surrounding areas for decades to come."

Fareham College said it would "discuss the DfE proposals to strengthen the existing provision in the region", while Eastleigh College said it would "continue to consider how we can support improvement and deliver an improved position for learners, employers, stakeholders and the city of Southampton."