A proposed merger between Automotive Skills and the Institute of the Motor Industry is still under discussion, despite initial hopes for a decision at the end of March.

AM first revealed the merger plan in its March 9 issue. It comes after a bleak period in Automotive Skills’ short history.

The publicly-funded sector skills council (SSC) has been shamed by mismanagement, a £1.8m overspend, chief executive Patricia Richards’ sudden departure and a former director, James Monroe, being jailed for fraud.

Its fate is now in the hands of the Sector Skills Development Agency, the Government body that funds and monitors all SSCs.

A spokeswoman for the SSDA says: “There will be a whole series of meetings over the next few weeks but a final decision is not expected until the summer. This is by no means a done deal.”