Emma Lewell urges bosses to 'come clean' on South Tyneside College £95m switch financial concerns
Emma Lewell has demanded education bosses come clean over South Tyneside College financial concerns.
South Shields’ MP has demanded education bosses come clean over who is accountable for weaknesses in oversight and governance around the town’s £95m college relocation project.
Emma Lewell says she has written to the Department for Education (DfE) to ask it to also reveal what its exact financial concerns are around the ongoing scheme.
The department recently told college leaders to improve their management of the development, which will see South Tyneside College move from its current site a mile away at Westoe.
Its watchdog - the Further Education Commissioner (FEC) - has issued them with a Financial Notice to Improve and will now work closely with them to ensure robust oversight.
The FEC will monitor progress and provide additional external support to ensure the project is delivered on time and with no future financial risks.
Tyne Coast College, which operates South Tyneside College, insisted finances around the project were robust and without cause for concern.
Labour MP Ms Lewell has also queried why media and the public were excluded from the borough’s new Reform-led council’s first Cabinet meeting when it discussed Tyne Coast College on Wednesday, May 27.
At that meeting, council leader, Cllr Paul Mackings, excused himself from that discussion.
Tyne Coast College has admitted Cllr Mackings, a successful businessman, has been involved in the project through his consultancy firm PMC Ltd.
It said PMC Ltd was enlisted to advise on planning matters relating to the sale of the existing college campus, which had enabled the college to progress plans to relocate to a new site.
In a Facebook post, Ms Lewell stated, ‘College town centre regeneration £95m project issued formal notice for weak governance and financial risks.
‘Cabinet exclude press & public from discussion. New Leader removes himself from mtg due to a financial interest.
‘For major projects like this a board is always set up to manage risk. Who is on the board? This project involves vast amounts of public money.
‘Where is the transparency? I am awaiting answers to a range of Qs I have asked the DfE.’
Ms Lewell also told the Gazette she had specifically asked the DfE to explain its governance and financial concerns, who has accountability, and who sits on the project board and where it meets.
The agenda minutes for the Cabinet meeting states that item 10 falls under ‘Chair’s urgent items’.
It adds: ‘The press and public is likely to be excluded from the meeting for the remaining agenda items listed below because they could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part1 of Schedule 12a of the Local Government Act1972.’
It adds that item 10 refers to a ‘Tyne Coast College Update’ and that, ‘The report seeks approval of a matter in relation to the Tyne Coast College.’
Under declarations of interest it states: ‘Councillor Paul Mackings. Item 10: Tyne Coast College Update. Pecuniary He left the meeting during discussion and determination of this item.’
A spokesperson for Tyne Coast College said; “We are not aware of any contact made by the MP to the Department for Education, nor has there been any contact with the College.
Funding for this complex project has been secured from a range of partners, as expected for a development of this scale, including the Department for Education, the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, local government, and the College.
Ms Lewell endorsed the new build, following South Tyneside Council’s successful £20 million award from Round 3 of the Levelling Up Fund in late 2023 for investment in South Shields town centre and riverside.”