Welsh awarded an extra Pounds 30 million

Welsh further education has received a Pounds 30 million funding boost in the 1999-2000 provisional allocations announced by the Further Education Funding Council for Wales show.

All but two colleges have benefited from a Pounds 192.5 million settlement compared with Pounds 163.6 million last year. Following the comprehensive spending review, colleges' funding per unit will rise from Pounds 53.65 to Pounds 57, with further funding for growth.

Funds for widening access will grow from Pounds 500,000 in the current year to Pounds 3 million in 1999-2000. More than Pounds 8 million has been allocated for capital projects, largely earmarked to provide creche facilities and to improve access for the disabled.

The only two losers in the college sector were Powys, which lost almost Pounds 400,000, a 7.2 per cent drop, and Harlech, which lost only Pounds 11,000, a 1.6 per cent drop.

This was blamed on their failure to meet growth targets this year. Four higher education colleges also lost funding, largely attributed to a rationalisation of their further education provision.

The biggest winner was Ystrad Mynach, with Pounds 1.1 million more.

WELSH PROVISIONAL FUNDING ALLOCATIONS 1999-00

Institution Amount in Pounds

Aberdare 2,321,361

Barry 6,603,628

Bridgend 7,905,513

Carmarthenshire 10,953,565

Ceredigion 3,034,607

Deeside 7,069,665

Glan Hafren 9,974,067

Gorseinon 4,974,119

Gwent ,742,111

Harlech 690,003

Llandrillo 11,889,714

Llysfasi 1,893,496

Meirion-Dwyfor 4,085,880

Menai 8,461,206

Merthyr Tydfil 3,376,962

Neath 13,252,385

Pembrokeshire 7,433,862

Pencoed 1,516,593

Pontypridd 8,866,844

Powys 4,792,264

St David's 2,612,133

Swansea 11,033,915

WCoH 2,020,652

WEA North 442,005

WEA South 1,056,604

Yale 11,242,772

YMCA 193,263

Ystrad Mynach 5,697,058

Aberystwyth 4,410

UWIC 679,771

UWC Newport 433,465

SIHE 221,523

UW Bangor WfA 533,756

UW Cardiff WfA 339,703

Glamorgan Univ WfA 1,909

NEWI WfA 10,296

UW Swansea WfA 216,793

Trinity WfA 17,526

Sponsored

organisations 322,624

Total 184,467,019