News 6/4/09

It’s official - Colleges are charitable institutions

The final piece of legislation to protect the charitable status of Scotland's colleges came into force this week.  Although they clearly demonstrated public benefit, colleges stood to lose their status due to the legal requirement that there should be no ministerial interference in their operations.

A hard fought campaign by John Wheatley College and others

In a hard-fought campaign last year, John Wheatley College, the Association of Scottish Colleges (ASC) and a community-wide pressure group spearheaded by Cllr Frank Docherty, lobbied the Scottish Parliament to review the legislation surrounding the standard requirement for the granting of charitable status.
Last June the Parliament exempted colleges from the standard requirement that a charity must operate free from Ministerial control and this has now come into force.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Fiona Hyslop, said:

"Our colleges make a huge contribution in many areas, delivering key employment skills to keep businesses competitive and promoting access and inclusion to encourage more people into learning.
"They have also started to reposition themselves to help people who need new skills and training to get back into work or stay in work during the current economic climate, ensuring that Scotland can emerge strongly from the current downturn. Overall, they deliver considerable public benefit and I believe their charitable status should be preserved and protected…   Parliament agreed last summer to exempt colleges from the requirement to operate completely independently of Ministers.
"This order … represents the very last brick in the wall in our steps to protect the charitable status of Scotland's colleges - interests which are well worth protecting."

Chris Travis, Chief Executive of Scotland's Colleges, said:

"We welcome the announcement that the final legal amendments have been made to safeguard the charitable status of Scotland's Colleges.
"The campaign by Scotland's Colleges to retain charitable status has been ongoing for four years, so the final piece of legislation coming into force today will provide peace of mind for the entire sector. Retaining charitable status is vital to the future of the college sector in Scotland and the Government's resolution means that individuals, businesses and communities across the country can continue to benefit from the first-class educational opportunities provided by Scotland's Colleges."

Ian Graham, Principal of John Wheatley College, said;

“We are happy that this matter has finally been resolved and the charitable status of colleges is no longer in question.  John Wheatley College demonstrates quite clearly that the public and the community benefit directly from our services.”

“In the main, our overwhelming thanks go to our community activists who lobbied so strenuously on our behalf, working tirelessly with Cllr Docherty to raise awareness of the issue and encouraging local residents and stakeholders to sign the petition.  We are very grateful indeed.”

A delighted Cllr Docherty said,

“It’s terrific that the Scottish Parliament has taken the necessary steps to enable the College to retain its Charitable Status.  The community really got behind it with a Petition to MSPs.  The local Community Planning Partnerships were also delighted to lend their support  -  this is a real ‘result’ for the East End.”