The Government has been accused of “playing politics” with Brighton and Hove’s colleges.

Councillor Averil Older, the chairman of the children and young people’s overview and scrutiny committee on Brighton and Hove City Council, made the remarks after it was revealed that all 13 of the colleges rescued from the Government’s college funding crisis are in Labour parliamentary constituencies.

In June further education institutions across Sussex, including City College Brighton and Hove, Varndean College in Brighton and BHASVIC in Hove, learnt that mutli-million pound plans to regenerate their buildings had evaporated.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which was running the Government’s college building programme, had run out of money.

A report by MPs on the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee in July criticised the LSC, saying it had actively encouraged colleges to bid for funds and approved projects it did not have money for.

Following a review, 13 building projects in the UK have now been given the go-ahead.

Coun Older said: ”It is scarcely believable that the 13 colleges chosen to receive funding are all in Labour seats, many marginals.

“Especially when you consider that four out of ten on the original list were in non-Labour areas. It looks very much like the Government is playing politics with the future of our young people.”

The council’s Conservatives are calling on the Government to release details of the criteria which were used to choose the 13 projects.

Coun Older said: “We need to see how the Learning and Skills Council decided that all 13 colleges to be given funding happen to be in Labour areas. We mustn’t forget that these decisions have been taken by an entirely discredited quango which is accountable to nobody except the Secretary of State.”

A LSC spokeswoman said: “The LSC aren’t able to comment on party political issues.

“The process was an open, evidenced process carried out by independent consultants using detailed project proposals for the basis of the assessments. There was no interference in that process from anyone and the projects chosen meet very clear learner, employer, accommodation and community needs.”