MINISTERS could face a legal challenge after sacking the board of a Scottish college at the centre of a row over the suspension of its principal.

The outgoing board of Glasgow Clyde College said it was "stunned" by the decision by Angela Constance, the Education Secretary, and called for a full inquiry by Holyrood's education committee.

The threat came after Ms Constance took the unprecedented step of sacking the board after an eighth month stand-off following the suspension of principal Susan Walsh.

A statement from the Scottish Government said the decision was taken because of "repeated incidences of board failure relating to governance, including breaches of its terms and conditions of grant".

However, the outgoing board said: "All eight board members believe they have acted properly and with integrity in the best interests of the college, students and staff.

“The Education Secretary’s decision is unprecedented and unjustified and it is open to challenge in the courts.

"We call on the Scottish Parliament's education committee to conduct a full inquiry into the matter and we are ready to give our evidence."

The board said the Scottish Funding Council and government officials had "vigorously pursued" a case to ministers to dismiss them "without objectivity or justification".

The statement added: "The decision raises serious questions about the autonomy of college boards in Scotland and, perhaps, the charitable status of colleges. It also puts at risk getting volunteers for boards in the future."

Earlier, Ms Constance had outlined her reasons for sacking the board in a statement to Holyrood.

She said the board had allowed its relationship with student representatives and the wider student population to deteriorate and "did nothing" to address the problem.

The board also incurred significant amounts of expenditure without seeking appropriate prior approval when it ran up bills of £200,000 seeking legal advice over the suspension and a subsequent investigation by the Scottish Funding Council, she said.

In addition, the board was accused of failing to consider "serious concerns" raised by the principal about governance matters in February "which have not been addressed".

Finally, Ms Constance said that at important meetings the board had operated without proper agendas, without papers in advance of meetings and without minutes that recorded discussions and decisions.

She said: "We have been engaging directly with the college since May after staff, students and local representatives raised concerns about governance.

“The outgoing board has failed to discharge its duties on a number of counts, including breaching clear rules on expenditure limits, allowing its relationship with student representatives to break down, and failing to investigate governance concerns raised by the principal before her suspension.

"Having considered all the information, and taken into account what is in the best interests and needs of students and staff at the college, I am clear that a new board is needed to take Glasgow Clyde College forward.

"I am confident the new board will act quickly to forge a positive relationship with its 27,000 students and staff so the college can fully focus on supporting learners to achieve their ambitions and ensuring the institution plays a key role in the life of Glasgow, its people and its economy.”

The move comes after a raft of concerns over the way the board acted after Ms Walsh was suspended on full pay by chairman of the board George Chalmers in February.

The Education Secretary has announced that the new board will be chaired by Alex Linkston, the former chief executive of West Lothian Council.