Two colleges are being reported for flouting Government regulations on student representation.

Shipley College and Craven College in Skipton have been named and shamed by the National Union of Students (NUS). They are among 14 of the country's 152 further education colleges which have failed to include a student representative on their governing bodies.

Both have protested their innocence, saying they are in the process of appointing student governors and that they fully agree with the principle. But they are still being included on a list the NUS is submitting to the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC), accusing them of breaking regulations.

NUS president Owain James said: "We're calling on these institutions to take action and get these positions filled straight away. Student governors play a vital role in college life."

Craven College principal Alan Blackwell said there had been a student governor at the college until two or three weeks ago when he resigned. Elections for a replacement were being organised and he or she would join the board in January.

"I think this is misinformation on the NUS's part," he said. "We are all for having students on the board. We did have a student representative who was very active and very able."

Jeremy Stott from Shipley College said there was no student governor at the college because student elections were still being organised. One would be in place by December.

"We see the views of students as being extremely important to the running of the college," he said.

But an NUS spokesman said their explanations were not good enough and that it was far too late in the academic year to still be organising elections.

"We find their excuses very poor," she said. "It is unacceptable that they are in the process of electing them. They wouldn't take this kind of attitude with other governors, the type that come from the business community."

She said further education colleges had been characterised as having weak governing bodies. They had a crucial role in insuring there was no financial fraud or incompetence.

A spokesman for the Further Education Funding Council said: "Following changes to the instrument and articles of further education over a year ago, which required all governing bodies to have a student governor, great progress has been made within the current structure.

"There was no requirement to end the appointment of any member of the governing body when the new constitution took effect on August 1, 1999. Therefore existing terms of appointment could run their course, but any new appointment had to be made so that the new composition conformed to the constitution as soon as possible.

"The FEFC will work with the NUS, following their survey, to encourage those colleges without student governors to move as quickly as possible to appoint them. The FEFC has no specific powers but can influence colleges.

"There is no doubt that a student being an effective member of the college's governing body will add greatly to a student's learning experience."