'Challenges' Emerge From Scottish College Merger

More information needed before it can be judged as a success.

Have staff and students been affected by the merger of Scotland's colleges?

That's one question the Public Audit Committee have asked in their new report. 

They are concerned about severance packages, the arms-length foundations and the overall cost of merging colleges and say they need more information before the project can be deemed a success. 

Public Audit Committee Convener Paul Martin MSP said:

"We know that assessing costs and expected efficiency savings is a major challenge for mergers. The Committee was assured by the Scottish Government that the lessons identified by the Auditor General from previous public body mergers had been learned. So it is disappointing that the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council (SFC) have not yet been able to provide detailed figures to demonstrate efficiencies.

The £50 million figure for savings has frequently been referred to but we have yet to be convinced and we have sought clarity on the timescale for achieving this saving. Given the cost of the mergers and particular concerns around some severance payments made we have asked the Scottish Government to provide greater detail on the merger costs and the achieved savings.

Further, the Committee understands why Arm’s-Length Foundations (ALFs) are being used by colleges, but calls for greater transparency in how they are being used by extending FOI legislation to cover them.

We acknowledge the Auditor General’s finding that the merger planning process was generally good but we require more evidence of the benefits claimed."