THE DRASTIC Halton College course of action and the events of the past few years engendered mixed feelings in Halton MP Derek Twigg who said of the redundancies: "It's very bad news. I am disappointed and annoyed; it is clearly a result of previous bad management.

"It's bad that the staff have had to take the pain for that."

"It is right that the college should focus on local provision but it has to provide quality service."

Mr Twigg and Mike Hall MP met with college governors on Friday and have also met with the FEFC to ask them to help the college through their present financial troubles.

New regulations introduced by the Labour government, he said, would end the leadership of businessmen on the governing body - reducing their proportion to 40 per cent.

He added: "We want to see more governors from the local community, a much greater community involvement in the running of the college. That, to me, is the strength for the future."

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