Despite strenuous efforts to prevent it, Dartington College of the Arts faces a merger with University College Falmouth and a move of 90 miles from its present site in Devon to Cornwall. At a hearing on March 14, campaigners were faced with legal costs of up to £44,600 if they chose to proceed with their judicial review application. As a result they had no option but to withdraw. Campaigners feel strongly that this is a national issue. Despite the academic success and financial viability of this small, highly original and specialist institution, incentives have been made available for the merger that they feel have entirely distorted the arguments. The pursuit of university status, not necessarily of benefit to students but large in the eyes of senior management, is one driver; £15.6m of the funding for the merger being provided by the European Convergence Fund - in Cornwall - is another.

The legal route, at this stage, was to prevent the transfer of £3.5m from the South West Regional Development Agency, to put the merger on hold until the outcome of the review. The RDA now stands accused of preventing the review: 'They have plenty of public money. Public money to prevent the public getting at the truth.' This may not be an exaggeration: the RDA has been forced to admit taping campaigners at an earlier meeting, according to one member of the campaigning group, who also explained that, at the hearing, 'the pro bono lawyer said that the RDA were asking us to say that the case had no merit. The lawyer replied that the campaigners would be lying if they said that.' How the campaign can proceed is not clear, but it will. The principal of Dartington, Professor Andrew Brewerton, has talked about how the merger will provide for a 'sustainable future' for the Dartington ethos, but specific claims and counterclaims do need to be resolved: the strongest reason given for the move, that the landlord for the site, Dartington Hall trust, had given notice, has been denied by the Trust.
See www.savedartingtoncollege.org and www.dartington.org for further details.