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HERALD EXPRESS - 19 March 2008
Devon County Council is demanding answers over how the Government's Regional Development Agency came up with £3.5million of taxpayers' cash to support the controversial Dartington College of Art move to Cornwall.And the leader of the county's Labour group, Saxon Spence, has declared the answers should be made public.
Campaigners fighting to keep the college in Dartington have just called off their legal fight to force a High Court hearing to ask just those questions after being faced with a possible costs bill of more than £40,000.
Now Devon county councillors want the RDA to explain how they came to the decision to back the college move - which it is feared will tear up to £5million a year out of the South Devon economy and hand it to Cornwall.
Stuart Hughes, the county council's chairman of the environment, economy and culture scrutiny committee, said: "I would be pleased to ask the RDA to explain to us their decision to support the move and how they came about it. It will not safeguard the college, but we will at least have a clearer understanding of their position."
Cllr Spence said the RDA's decision was 'very disappointing'.
She expressed concern that as Dartington and other colleges of higher education are moving out of Devon, then a gap is being left in the local economy. She said that the decision behind the move should be made public.
South Hams county councillor Julian Brazil told county councillors the college move from Dartington would leave a hole of £5million per year in the local economy, and a loss of much of the area's vitality as young students move away.
One of the main concerns is the possibility that the RDA's £3.5million grant for the college to make the move may have been based upon factual inaccuracies.
The Save Dartington College campaigners had aimed to raise this issue as a major plank in their bid for a judicial review which collapsed at the end of last week at the doors of the High Court in London.
In the end, Save Dartington College campaigners abandoned their legal challenge just minutes before it was due to be heard.
The campaign members were at the door to the High Court when they decided to pull out of the hearing after being told they could end up being hit by a costs bill of more than £40,000.
Save Dartington College campaign spokesman Allen Saddler revealed: "Had we continued with our request for a judicial review, we could have been involved in meeting costs of up to £50,000 and perhaps more.
"We are individuals, working people with deep consciences and genuine commitment to the Dartington College ethos which, as is well known, will be lost if the proposed merger goes ahead."
An RDA spokesman said that a lengthy investigation had been made into whether the move should go ahead, but the organisation was satisfied that the right decision had been made.
He added: "The board took the judgement in January that there were one or two things that were inaccurate in the first place.
"We were quite open about that. We felt it was important to be 100 per cent sure of the facts, so in February we made absolutely sure that there was agreement that the college had no future at the site.
"The college was going to close if there wasn't a solution. We are therefore very confident that we've made a robust decision for the better.
"It's been a very difficult decision in very difficult circumstances, but the right one."
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