Coatbridge College pulls out of merger but Cumbernauld College still in talks to merge

A LANARKSHIRE college had pulled out of plans to merge with two others in the county.

Coatbridge College has withdrew from a proposal to merge with Cumbernauld and Motherwell colleges.

The plans would have brought together the three colleges, creating a new institution for Lanarkshire.

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The merger is part of plans to create 12 new college regions in Scotland and would have allowed the institutions in Lanarkshire to combine resources.

A spokesman for Cumbernauld and Motherwell colleges confirmed that Cumbernauld and Motherwell will still proceed with a two-way merger.

They said both colleges are fully committed to working with all colleges within the Federation of Lanarkshire Colleges and have reaffirmed that the door will remain open for Coatbridge to be welcomed back into the merger.

The spokesman added: “We are hopeful Coatbridge College will come back to the table and the three way merger can continue. We remain committed to the merger and believe it is in the best interests of the students, staff and local communities.”

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A spokesman for Coatbridge College say the board of management put forward proposals to strengthen the governance arrangements of the proposed merger and in particular the demarcation of roles.

This was done at the first formal merger committee meeting at Motherwell College on Monday, February 25.

The merger committee, however, rejected these proposals and the board of management of Coatbridge College felt they were being excluded from the process.

The spokesman added: “For any merger to succeed, there needs to be a high level of trust and a strong desire

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to proceed on equal terms across all parties. Despite continued efforts to engage positively, no progress has been made in achieving meaningful inclusion in the merger process.

We wish Motherwell and Cumbernauld well in their efforts and will continue to play a full role in the Federation supporting the people of Lanarkshire.”

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