A COLLEGE that has educated thousands of people over almost 70 years could face the axe next year as part of council budget cuts.
Wedgwood College and Conference Centre, formerly known as Wedgwood Memorial College, has a national reputation for its courses. It has also been licensed for weddings.
But the Station Road, Barlaston centre, which has overnight accommodation and houses the national headquarters of the Esperanto Association of Britain, could be shut by Stoke on Trent City Council which is seeking savings of £24 million.
The centre currently employs seven people and is jointly managed with Staffordshire County Council, with the city council having the freehold. The proposal to close it was revealed on Monday in a budget consultation document covering the next three years up to 2014/2015.
It is estimated its closure would save the council £28,000 a year and the council cabinet has been recommended to approve the move at its December 15 meeting.
The document said: “The college is not core business and this proposal means that the council will no longer be managing an asset which is used by a small customer base which is predominantly made up of non Stoke residents.” But groups are already battling to save it.
Before the closure proposal was announced a business plan for a community asset transfer of the college was submitted to the council.
Groups including Friends of WMC, the Raymond Williams Foundation, the Workers Education Association, the Esperanto Association of Britain and the Arnold Bennett Society are working together in a bid to secure the college’s future, Raymond Williams Foundation administrator and former WMC principal Dr Derek Tatton said.
“We came up with this business plan just a couple of months ago. The local authority would cease to have financial liabilities.” But the business plan was rejected by the council, Dr Tatton said, as it was not deemed robust. But the group is continuing to work towards keeping the college open and meetings have already been arranged with Staffordshire County Councillor Ian Parry and Stoke on Trent councillor Mark Meredith.
Barlaston Parish Council chairman Gareth Jones said: “The College could provide a good base to develop local amenities for the village.”
