The Big 4

Liverpool's proposed polytechnic would seem most nearly to satisfy the Government's original policy criteria. Its four constituent colleges, art, building, commerce and technology, are sufficiently developed to be well‐placed in the initial 1968 polytechnic planning phase. Most importantly, no single one of them is sufficiently powerful to overshadow the others. All four colleges do degree level work, the College of Technology doing no work below HNC. Another important factor concerns Liverpool College of Art. As one of the better regional colleges it could be expected that resistance to the polytechnic, à la Hornsey, would be strong. This is not so. As Liverpool's Deputy Director of Education, Mr D. S. Birley put it: ‘we do not expect modifications of a major nature. To date there is no conflict between the colleges.’