Intervention in FE colleges

After something of a stand-off between the Commons and the Lords, the Further Education and Training Act 2007 has reached the statute book. It includes a version of the controversial provision that would have given the LSC the power to instruct a college corporation to dismiss its principal. This was rightly seen as potentially leading to unfair dismissal cases.

The compromise reached is that the LSC will have to inform the secretary of state and the secretary of state may stay the LSC's proposal. Moreover, it will not take the form of an instruction to dismiss but to put dismissal procedures into operation. This still leaves a corporation the right to consider evidence introduced by the LSC and, presumably, to reject it.