THE head of under- fire Bolton Community College is on long-term sick leave.

Principal Alison Bowes has been off work for three weeks and has had her sick note extended for a month.

It has also emerged that vice principal Dr Beri Hare is leaving to become head at another college.

The college will not divulge the nature of Ms Bowes' illness, but it is understood it is not stress-related.

Her absence comes during a difficult period for the college, which has had to implement cost-cutting measure which have attracted protests from students particularly adults and those with learning and/or physical disabilities.

Vice-Principal Wilf Cox has taken over as acting head of the college. A college spokesman said: "Until Alison returns next month, Wilf Cox moves from being Vice-Principal to Acting Principal.

"He will oversee the college's development plan during this period, in preparation for more than 1,000 full and part time courses starting in September."

Ms Bowes has been principal since October, 2000. She has been in further education for 25 years and was principal of Salford College for three years before taking the Bolton job.

In recent weeks, the college has come under fire for cutting adult courses and proposing the closure of its Clarence Street Centre.

A campaign and demonstration to save the centre resulted in college bosses doing a U-turn and giving it a 12-month stay of execution.

The college had planned to close the centre in September as part of a cost-cutting plan, claiming changes in Government funding of higher education had left them short of cash.

The cutbacks also led to 50 posts going at the college through voluntary severance.

Managers wanted too move the courses, many of which are classed as leisure and recreational, to the main Manchester Road campus.