Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the real terms changes in Government funding for Further Education colleges was between 2010 and 2018.

Published further education (FE) college accounts for 2009/10 show that total funding body and government agencies income came to £5,888 million. Adjusted for inflation, that is the equivalent of £6,724 million in 2017/18.

Published FE college accounts data shows that total income to FE colleges from funding body grants in 2017/18 came to £4,642 million. This includes data from those colleges which had submitted their finance record by 31 December 2018.

The difference in part reflects reforms to funding, which have led to colleges receiving income from other sources. The 2017/18 figure does not include college income from Advance Learner Loans, employer payments for apprenticeships, or higher education tuition fees. There has also been demographic change, with a decline in the number of 16-19 year olds in the publication during the period covered.