The former principal of a cash-strapped college spent thousands on dining out with a corporate credit card.
Dame Asha Khemka racked up more than £40,000 in expenses in five years before stepping down, as FE Week reported. Her resignation came shortly after Vision West Nottinghamshire College in Mansfield asked the government for a £2.1m bailout.
But a spokesman said they have since undergone a "wholesale regime change".
The college has since put "strict controls" on expenses, he added. According to figures seen by FE Week, Dame Asha spent £41,666.96 between 2013-14 and 2017-18 on the card.
More than £11,000 of that was spent on food and drink, including visits to a Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant and a five-star hotel. She also claimed £340 after a single visit to Boots.
In 2018 the college, which had around 20,000 students on the roll in 2017, asked for financial help.
According to a government report it had "entirely run out of cash" and the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills said there had been "serious corporate failure".
It has since had to make more than 100 staff redundant in its bid to balance the books.
Dame Asha, who was awarded a DBE for her services to education and named 'woman of the year' at the GG2 Leadership Awards in 2014, did not respond to the BBC's approach for comment.
