This article suggests that the balance of powder invested in principals at incorporation has shifted to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which for some is reminiscent of Local Education Authority (LEA) control. The evidence is taken from 28 semi-structured interviews with ten college principals between 2001-2003 as control passed from the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) to the LSC. The author, who was able to collate emerging themes, provides an analysis of the attitudes of the principals towards the changes. Four attitudinal types of principals emerged from this study. The autonomist principals resisted the changes and on the whole were not able to positively identify with LSC policy. The pragmatists were best placed to take LSC policy and meld it into their vision. The sceptical principals found that, although there were some changes of which they approved at local level, they could not see any real improvements for the sector overall. Those with an optimistic attitude believe that their optimism has been rewarded and that the new era has brought benefits. (Contains 1 figure.)