A FIFE MSP has accused the Scottish Government and John Swinney of “backtracking” on promises of funding for Fife College’s new £90 million campus at Halbeath.

Alex Rowley submitted a written parliamentary question to the education minister last week asking how much money had been agreed for the replacement facility and when it would be made available.

He was angered with the response which said the Scottish Funding Council (SFU) would use its recently-published Estates Condition Survey to “help identify priorities for future investment” and ensure resources were targeted to where they were needed most.

Mr Rowley said that contradicted a pledge made in October 2014 that Fife College would get a share of £140m in capital funding to improve its college facilities.

The announcement made by Mr Swinney in his previous role as Finance Secretary said cash would be made available for new learning campuses at Fife and Forth Valley colleges as part of an additional £1 billion budgeted for infrastructure.

“It is clear that John Swinney and the Scottish Government are backtracking on the previous commitment they gave to fund a state-of-the-art new college campus in Dunfermline to service certainly West Fife and indeed all of Fife with advanced technology, learning and skills,” said Mr Rowley.

“It now seems that was more a pre-election stunt than a genuine commitment to a new campus and Fife is being sold short yet again from an SNP Government of broken promises.”

Mr Rowley said the SFU’s review showed costs for what appeared to be “a patch-up” of the current Carnegie campus at around £4 million, however, he said this measure would not be acceptable.

“We need a new college that is equipped to support skills, training and learning for the 21st century that can offer access for business and industry and links for both further and higher education,” he added. 

“I have written to the college principal seeking a meeting to discuss how the college view this latest u-turn from the Scottish Government.”

There is also some dispute about the £4m figure, with suggestions that the cost could be much higher. 

Fife College have planning permission for a new campus for 6,000 students at the Shepherd Offshore site at Halbeath, which they aim to open in the summer of 2019. 

The possibility that it will be delayed was reported last month and a college spokesperson said this week that they are awaiting a decision from the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council on the funding of a "much needed" new college campus in West Fife. 

"With a backlog maintenance funding requirement of around £40million just to bring the current campus up to a basic standard, we believe that there is an overwhelming case for investment in the new campus that was promised back in 2014," added the spokesperson.

A Scottish Government spokesperson confirmed all Scottish colleges, including Fife College, took part in the recent review of the college estate and indicative funding allocations for the 2018/19 academic year would be announced in the coming months. 

“Capital funding will be decided by the Scottish Funding Council and will take into account the findings of the College Estate Condition Survey,” added the spokesperson.

Mr Rowley has also raised concerns over the idea that a “super campus” could be created which would see the new college campus merged with St Columba’s and Woodmill high schools and has written to Fife Council chief Steve Grimmond for answers.

“I fear that, for financial reasons, the idea of a ‘Super Campus’ for the two Dunfermline high schools and a replacement college is being looked at as the only game in town,” he said.

“I am also very concerned that the officials of Fife and Scottish government have become so fixated with the ‘Super Campus’ that a replacement for Inverkeithing High School has completely slipped of the agenda. This also would not be acceptable.”

The Scottish Government spokesperson said Fife Council had been awarded significant funding of more than £57 million recently towards the construction of three secondary schools as part of the £1.8 billion Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme, adding: “The Scottish Futures Trust is working with the local authority, education officials and the further education sector to support all viable options to ensure the best possible education facilities in Fife.”

Fife Council’s head of education and children’s services, Shelagh McLean, reiterated their commitment to continuing the significant investment programmes in new schools with priorities focusing on Inverkeithing, Woodmill and St Columba’s as well as Glenwood and Glenrothes high schools.

“At this point, we have no timescale for any streams of funding for which we could submit any project,” she said. “Fife Council is considering all available options to address the condition, suitability and capacity issues being seen in Dunfermline and South West Fife.”