THE long-term future of Blandford Camp remains uncertain despite the government’s decision to suspend plans for a multi-billion defence training college in Wales.

Blandford Camp is home to the Royal School of Signals and delivers high quality communications training to personnel from all three military services.

An estimated 5,000 people in North Dorset depend on the camp for their livelihood.

Garrison Staff Officer, Lt Col (rtd) Bob Brannigan, said: “With regards to Blandford Camp it is business as usual. The quality communications training conducted here will continue as it does today.

“There will be a further review of how to rationalise training across the three services and we await this to see what, if any, effect this may have on Blandford Camp."

The previous government announced in 2006 a PFI agreement with defence contractor, Metrix, to build a £13bn tri-service college for communications and technical training built in St Athan.

But (19) in a written statement to Parliament, Defence Secretary, Liam Fox MP, announced that the agreement had been terminated and said future plans would be announced next spring.

He added that the MOD remained committed to delivering technical training over the fewest possible sites and backed St Athan as the “future defence training solution”.

Work to move training operations to South Wales had been due to begin next year.

Mr Brannigan said he could not say what would happen to training operations at the camp within the next five years “as we await that information ourselves.”

North Dorset MP, Bob Walter, said plans to move training facilities from Blandford to South Wales were “wrong” and said he would meet Dr Fox and urge him to abandon the plans completely.

“It is right in modern warfare that all three services should train together, and this is exactly what the present facilities at Blandford were designed and built for,” said Mr Walter.