K College has campuses across Kent, including at Tonbridge

by political editor Paul Francis

A government hit squad is to be sent into to the crisis-hit K College in a bid to sort out its huge debts.

The move follows a meeting between Kent MPs and skills minister Matthew Hancock yesterday aimed at trying to find ways for the college to recover from a multi-million pounds deficit.

The official intervention by the Skills Funding Agency is a serious step and comes amid concerns expressed by several MPs that the college's finances have been seriously mismanaged.

The team will review the position of the college - which has campuses in Dover, Folkestone, Ashford, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells - over the next three months.

It will then set out options on the best way to resolve the college's underlying deficit of £6.4million - the amount expected to be left after the college's recovery plan.

The move comes after the college revealed even more jobs could go as it tried to balance the books after falling £16million into the red. As part of its latest recovery plan, it said 168 jobs were at risk, 23 more than originally thought.

'Save K College' spokesman Lynne Beaumont welcomed the intervention, but warned any rescue plan might result in Folkestone missing out.

"It's positive news that the Skills Funding Agency have intervened. However, their intervention does show that this is a truly serious situation.

"The Save K College campaign is extremely concerned that any 'turn around' or rescue mustn't leave Folkestone without a viable further education option."

She added: "I am not surprised that the situation has come to this. The recovery plan put forward by the principal and senior managers of K College was not good enough for the Skills Funding Agency, and therefore, not good enough for the people of Folkestone."

Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke, pictured above, said: "This hit squad will review the position of the college over the next three months and work out what to do about it because the financial position is extremely serious and there are equally serious concerns about the governance.

"It is right to have government intervention to try and find a solution. Things have been going wrong for years and we need to find a way forward which will last for a long time. This needs to be in place by next September."

The crisis has already seen the principal Bill Fearon quit his job.