The president of Ilkley College Students' Union has warned the town will be hit by the loss of its student population.

Kerrie McLaughlin has labelled the closure of the Wells Road campus as a sad day for Ilkley.

The students believe their fears have been ignored at the expense of debate over the future of the college buildings and anger voiced at the loss of the Yorkshire ballet seminars.

She said: "In terms of the closure and the coverage it has received, the students themselves feel forgotten and overlooked. Let's not forget that students from the college have been contributing to this community for over 40 years.

"Students are concerned about being transferred to Bradford and in general how different life will be when they move from Ilkley to a big city. Many feel the sense of community they have experienced in Ilkley will be lost."

She said the Union was endeavouring to ensure the physical merger would be as smooth as possible for the students involved.

Students past and present have fought to save the college since 1994 when its owners, the Bradford and Ilkley College Corporation (BICC), decided the Ilkley campus should close by the end of 1999.

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