Mark Haysom resigns over continuing problems with £2.3bn college rebuilding programme

The head of the Learning and Skills Council has resigned as criticism mounts over the body’s beleagured £2.3bn college rebuilding programme.

Mark Haysom, LSC chief executive, said he was leaving as a result of the problems with the building initiative, large parts of which have been placed on hold as a result of a shambolic procurement process which saw the LSC approve twice as many bids as it had funding for.

Haysom said: "I have reached the conclusion that, because of the well-publicised difficulties with that programme, I should now announce that I am stepping down from my role as chief executive.”

The government has appointed former KPMG consultant Geoff Russell as acting chief executive in his place.

Building first revealed the delays to the LSC programme in January. Since then, it has emerged that some of those projects placed on hold were already under construction, leaving supply chains in limbo while the government attempts to work out a system for prioritizing projects.

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