A PARLIAMENTARY committee is to examine a York college’s controversial decision to close and sell its campus in Cumbria.

The Defra select committee session next Tuesday will discuss the impact of the proposed closure of Newton Rigg in Penrith by Askham Bryan College as part of a wider look at land based education provision in England.

Askham Bryan took over Newton Rigg from the University of Cumbria in 2011, and it currently has 440 further education students, 96 apprentices and 117 staff, and almost all the staff are said to have been given notice of redundancy for later this year.

College CEO Dr Tim Whitaker and director of governance Judith Clapham, and Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership representatives, are amongst the witnesses due to appear virtually before the committee, which can be watched on parliamentlive.tv.

Mr Whitaker said the college "welcomed the opportunity to take part," and said: “Whilst this is not an official inquiry into the closure of Newton Rigg, it will be discussed within the session’s broader context of the future of national land based education and delivery of the Government’s new Environmental Land Management scheme.”

The committee’s decision to examine Newton Rigg follows intensive lobbying by Peers including former Workington MP Dale Campbell-Savours, who has described Askham Bryan’s actions as “asset-stripping” and said the loss of Newton Rigg will have a major impact on the local community.

He said land at Newton Rigg was worth at least £10 million but had originally been given to Askham Bryan for nothing.

Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and the Border and a member of the committee, said he very much welcomed the committee’s inquiry into land-based education, with a specific focus on Cumbria and the impact of the situation at Newton Rigg.

“This sector is so important to the rural economy of Cumbria and the wider UK and it is important that we evaluate the Newton Rigg situation so that we can work together with stakeholders on the provision of land-based education in Cumbria aiming for a new Newton Rigg to emerge,” he added.