A DAMNING report by MPs has found the council managing the rebuilding of further education colleges guilty of a “very serious failure”.

The parliamentary Committee of Public Accounts says the Learning and Skills Council behaved “recklessly” in approving refurbishment projects that required £2.7 billion more than it could afford.

Only 13 of the 79 colleges’ projects initially approved will still go ahead, including North West Kent College in Oakfield Lane, Dartford, although with reductions in the original funding.

Colleges that were unsuccessful in getting cash include Lewisham College and Christ the King Sixth Form College, also in Lewisham.

Chairman of the committee Edward Leigh MP said: “The Learning and Skills Council has been guilty of a very serious failure in its management of the programme to refurbish and rebuild further education college buildings around the country.

“The council behaved recklessly by approving too many projects and allowing colleges' expectations of financial support to outstrip what it could afford by nearly £2.7 billion.”

“The future of the programme is now beset with considerable uncertainty which must be dispelled as soon as possible.

The chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council, Geoff Russell, said: “We are confident that we have understood the lessons from the past and have adapted our working practices to the current funding environment.

“We are working together with the sector to explore alternative financing options to support more college projects to be built.”