Administrative demands in further education in Britain are heavy and unrelenting throughout the year; most work related directly to students and could not be cut. A survey of 84 colleges, and in-depth work with 10 colleges, yield an analysis of background and problems. Almost two-thirds of administrative tasks are paper based; almost one-third involve oral communications. Administrative tasks are usually urgent; over 50 percent require action on the same day. Increases in bureaucracy are associated with a number of curriculum trends and changes. The solution in colleges appears to lie in a more widespread, rigorous, and systematic application of practical strategies to reduce bureaucracy. Solutions developed in colleges to reduce bureaucratic burdens on lecturers fall into six main categories: curriculum redesign and re-engineering; re-engineering of administrative systems; a better use of information and communications technology; increasing administrative support; managing change; and changing management. Agencies external to colleges have opportunities to reduce or mitigate their demands on colleges. They play important roles in creating a unified quality framework, combining disparate sources of funding in a single funding framework, reestablishing a more equitable balance between devolved responsibility and centralized audit and control, taking a lead in development of communications media, and developing a unique identifier for each individual student. (Contains 49 references, research methods, and instruments.) (YLB)