The unfolding farce over government funding for college building limped along on Friday after the country’s biggest quango announced cash for a mere 13 projects across England. The Learning and Skills Council’s decision leaves more than 160 that had submitted bids to wait almost two years, when they can ask again for the required money.

The go-ahead given by the council to a few colleges followed the April revelation by an independent report that “inadequate management, information and monitoring” had led the council to give provisional approval to billions of pounds of further education plans which it could not afford.