Bradford College has lost out in its attempt to be chosen as the merger partner for Keighley College.

Instead, Keighley College has announced it will merge with Park Lane College, Leeds, from next September.

Park Lane already runs several colleges in the Leeds area.

Keighley governors rejected merger proposals by Craven College in Skipton, Newcastle College and Bradford College.

The decision of the governing bodies must now be agreed by the Government's Learning and Skills Council.

After the decision was announced Bradford College released a statement which said: "We are disappointed that Bradford College hasn't been chosen as the merger partner and would like to wish Keighley College and its new partner the best of luck for the future.

"From the outset of the merger process, Bradford College's case had one aim: to provide the people, communities and businesses of Bradford and Airedale with access to a wide range of high quality further and higher education training opportunities.

"This is still the case and in the New Year we will be revealing our own commitment to achieve this aim."

The merger decision was jointly announced by John Hayes and Lesley Hastings, chairmen of the governing bodies of Keighley College and Park Lane College.

They said the union, agreed after Keighley governors heard presentations from all four colleges, would offer greater opportunities for students and staff. They said: "The merger will allow us to build on our strengths and develop a wider choice of curriculum subjects for learners from September 2008.

"Current learners will see no disruption to their studies with the emphasis on high-quality curriculum provision."

The two colleges will consider major issues such as name change or internal structure over the next few months.

Chris Moore, principal of Keighley College, said the college was working closely with the Learning and Skills Council, whose role was to oversee the process and make recommendations.

Tony Longworth, principal of Park Lane College, said: "The combined institution offers significant opportunities for the development of learning provision in Keighley and in Leeds, and will help us to better deal with the challenges heralded in Government policy."

The merger will not affect Keighley College's plans to move to a new £25 million campus in Dalton Lane by September 2009.

The University and College Union, which has many lecturers at Keighley College, had called for a merger with either Craven or Shipley College.

Bradford College had lobbied hard, citing the colleges' joint 175th anniversaries next year, existing joint projects such as Train to Gain and WomenBuild, and opportunities for higher education.

Park Lane College has two main campuses, in Leeds centre and Horsforth and 16-satellite sites across the Leeds area.

It has an annual budget of £30.5 million, more than 600 full-time-equivalent staff and about 38,500 students.

e-mail: will.kilner @bradford.newsquest.co.uk