UCU welcomes decision on future of capital's prison education

The announcement followed an extraordinary meeting of the college's board of governors last week (Thursday evening) and ends the uncertainty for staff at the prisons after City and Islington College and Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College turned down the contract because they were unhappy with the level of funding.

The union said it was pleased the LSC 'saw sense' and awarded the contract to a college with a track record of delivering prison education. However, it warned that the LSC needed to increase the funding to ensure the teaching is not delivered on the cheap. UCU also said that the unnecessary limbo for staff as the LSC had to re-tender the contract should have been avoided.

UCU said staff would be relieved that the transfer of work could now go ahead and said the decision was a result of members lobbying and petitioning the LSC to ensure the work did not end up in the hands of a private company.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'The unnecessary delay here should act as a lesson to the LSC not to contract out prison education. We are pleased that delivery of education has been finally awarded to Kensington and Chelsea College, but the delays caused serious anxiety for staff and the LSC should not go down this road in the future. The dedicated efforts of UCU members cannot be underestimated in securing this decision.'