Jobs at risk in bid to save �1.6m by West Norfolk-based college

Staff at the Pulse8 gym on the College of West Anglia site are at risk of losing their jobs because it is going to close.

Following the completion of a consultation on proposals to make �1.6m budget savings, the King's Lynn college has announced its decision to close the fitness centre in July. But a decision on closing Plaxtole House, which provides residential facilities for 24 students with learning difficulties, has been deferred for another month.

College governors have deferred the decision to the end of June to allow time for a feasibility study to take place.

The Lynn property needs a 'significant sum' invested in it to remain open.

Principal David Pomfret said: 'We received a great deal of feedback on the proposal to close the residential facilities at Plaxtole House, including a number of suggestions for potential sources of funding to enable the residential provision to continue. College governors will be giving full consideration to the feedback received to date and we have taken steps to explore all the suggested potential funding sources but, unfortunately, these have so far proved not to be viable.

'However, we are still looking at a potential option for residential provision with Freebridge Community Housing. Freebridge is currently carrying out a feasibility study which will take several weeks to complete and, as a result, college governors have decided to defer the decision on the future of Plaxtole House to allow enough time to fully explore this option.'

One full-time and two part-time jobs will be lost at Pulse8. Sport students have been relocated to Lynnsport to use the facilities at the council-owned centre.