The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee will conclude its work in March 2026 ahead of the next Scottish Parliament election. While it will continue to meet, the Committee has agreed it will not consider petitions submitted after 10 October. This is to ensure all petitions currently in the system can be considered before the next Scottish Parliament election. It is also unlikely that the Committee would be able to schedule and meaningfully progress petitions submitted after 10 October before the election. Contact the Committee team at petitions.committee@parliament.scot for more information about the petitions process.
If you are seeking emergency action or an urgent policy change please contact one of your 8 MSPs or the Scottish Government directly
Closed petition PE2044: Recommit the £26 million pledged to colleges in the 2023/24 budget
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to reinstate the £26 million pledged to colleges in the 2023/24 budget.
Previous action taken
I have contacted John Swinney MSP, Pete Wishart MP and Graeme Dey MSP.
I received a letter from John Swinney who is raising my concerns with Graeme Dey.
Background information
Colleges are deeply disappointed that the funding has been retracted, and they are having to make cuts to courses and staff due to a lack of funding. This is not a lack of ambition from colleges or demands from students or employers.
Numerous Ministers and Cabinet Secretaries had repeatedly assured the college sector and Scottish Parliament that this funding was coming. Yet only 5 months after this was announced (in December 2022) it was withdrawn (in May 2023).
Colleges are needed more than ever now to mitigate poverty in communities across Scotland, providing a lifetime opportunity for people to be able to create a future in the workforce and add to the economy.
Removing funding previously promised to colleges is most definitely the wrong approach to delivering any of these ambitions.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
399 signatures