A TOP college is set to cut back on staff as it faces an £800,000 shortfall.

Basingstoke College Of Technology will not replace some staff and could axe administrative posts in its effort to cut costs.

One of the reasons the college is facing a cash headache is because it did not recruit as many students as expected over the last year.

This means that some Government money given to the college must now be repaid.

BCOT spokeswoman Beverley Flanagan confirmed the situation in relation to paying back Government cash.

She added: "The community learning centres have not performed as well as we thought they would and the number of part-time students taking GCSEs and A-levels was down."

Among the cost-saving proposals from board members are plans to take away administrative responsibilities from heads of study and transfer them to a central faculty.

At present, heads of study have responsibility for hiring and firing as well as budgetary matters, aside from training staff and dealing with curriculum matters.

The changes, which the board says will save £70,000, could mean the loss of full-time administrative posts, although other vacancies will be held open for these people in other departments.

Elsewhere, student support services, including customer services, information, welfare and reception, will be axed to save £95,000.

Two senior management staff, collecting £60,000 a year salaries, are to take voluntary retirement. Their posts will not be re-advertised.

Mrs Flanagan said: "Fourteen administrative posts will become nine but it is impossible to say now if that will mean any job losses after March."

Karen Young, union co-ordinator for the BCOT branch of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, said the union will be consulting with BCOT bosses about the planned changes.

She added: "Because we are in a consultation period, nothing has been finalised but, in theory, job reductions may be necessary."

The changes are set to be finalised at a board meeting on December 19 and, if agreed, will become effective from March.