THREE unions are calling for a change at the top of a group of colleges, warning that it is no longer a positive learning environment.

The Capital City College Group, which runs the City and Islington College in Holloway (CANDI), stood firm this week and said it had full confidence in its leadership.

CANDI, which has 14,000 students, saw its managerial structures change following a merger in 2016; first with Westminster Kings­way College and then a year later with the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London.

These changes make it one of the largest further education colleges in the UK. But members of the National Education Union, the University and College Union and Unison last week all “overwhelmingly” passed a vote of no confidence in the running of the four sites by its executive and vice-principals.

Teachers have complained about an “autocratic” style of management, and days in the job when union members have been in tears.

“The college belongs to the community and we do not feel the interest of the community is being put first,” said one teacher at CANDI. “Having spent 15 years here, this college was a beacon of stability before, and had an atmosphere where students enjoyed coming to learn here and teachers loved to teach here. It was a sustained, positive learning environment. But we don’t have that now.”

Among concerns raised by the unions are staff turnover and redundancies.

A spokesperson for Capital City College Group said: “We are in regular dialogue with union colleagues and are working constructively to understand and address their concerns. We have full confidence in our management team and the exceptional work of all our colleagues to support the education and skills of 30,000 students and adult learners in London.

“We remain committed to listening and responding to feedback from all colleagues and learners.”