Staff at a troubled women’s college in Surbiton have been asked to voluntarily cut their working hours in a bid to save cash.

Hillcroft College, which was warned earlier this year its £1.5m funding could be cut unless it improved academic outcomes for students, has written to staff inviting them to reduce the number of hours they work.

The college, led by principal Michael Wheeler, said the programme is part of a package to save cash ahead of a proposed federation partnership with another college, due to be completed next year.

In a statement released by the college, Mr Wheeler said: “Our financial health remains at the satisfactory Framework for Excellence grade.”

The Surrey Comet asked the college how much it hoped to save through the programme, but is yet to receive a response.

The University and College Union (UCU) is also yet to respond to the newspaper's requests for comment.

But councillor Shiraz Mirza, a patron of the college, said: “Times are changing.

“A lot of institutions are doing joined up working, such as Kingston College and Carshalton College.

“It depends which way you want to take this story, but I think whatever is for the benefit of the college is a positive.

“I’m sure they’re on track.”

Hillcroft received an inadequate rating in Ofsted in December last year, and in March was issued with an improvement notice by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) which warned it could cut its annual £1.5m funding to the college unless it improved.

In September, Hillcroft announced it had agreed a plan with the SFA to become a federation with another London college.

In 2010, Hillcroft was forced to dip into its building work reserves in order to write off a £443,000 loss following disastrous ticket sales for its ill-fated Sandown Park fundraising concert.