A MASSIVE cut in government funding for the College of West Anglia could lead to the loss of up to 37 jobs.

The college has launched a consultation with staff on a range of proposals to address the more than £4 million reduction in government funding in 2013-14.

The proposals, which involve changes to the staffing structure, non-pay benefits and other cost savings, are designed to save £3.3 million in the coming year.

The college, which received a glowing report from Ofsted after an inspection in January, employs about 800 staff and the potential job losses affect staff across all college sites.

The consultation will finish on June 10 and final decisions will be confirmed in late June.

College principal David Pomfret said: “We are in the middle of a well-publicised period of public sector funding cuts, which is affecting colleges across the country.

“Changes to the government funding system for 2013-14 plus a reduction in funding for 16 to 18 year-olds and adults means that we need to make budget savings of £3.3m in the coming year and, although we are planning to deliver some of this through reductions in non-pay budgets, we also need to take some tough decisions which inevitably affect jobs and employment conditions.

“We have a hard working and dedicated workforce committed to ensuring our students succeed and I am personally angered by the relentless pressure from government which threatens to undermine this and have made our funding bodies aware of my frustrations.”

The college’s sickness policy may be altered to address the cost of sickness absence and parking charges may be introduced at the King’s Lynn and Isle campuses.

The cuts will have little direct impact on the provision of mainstream courses but a furniture-making course at the Isle campus and the horticulture programme at the Cambridge campus will be withdrawn.

The college has signalled its intention not to renew a contract with Cambridgeshire County Council to deliver adult and community learning courses in Fenland.