MORE than 100 people will be thrown out of work if the proposed closure of Cumbria’s Newton Rigg agricultural college goes ahead, says a union.

The proposed closure has been described as a “hammer blow” for the county by one union, but Cumbrian peer Lord Inglewood – who studied at Newton Rigg as a young man – said efforts are already underway to save the college, which is operated by York-based Askham Bryan College.

Its governors have earmarked it for closure in July 2021, their decision being made after an “independent” review concluded that the Penrith college was no longer financially viable.

Lord Inglewood said: “We have to find a way to retain the provision of land-based training.

“A number of organisations are going to get their heads together, with the Local Enterprise Partnership playing a role.

“There are various other people who may be interested. Newton Rigg has been a very central part of our agricultural economy.

“This may well require some radical, out-of-the-box thinking.”

The University and College Union (UCU) yesterday vowed to fight the closure

Regional official Iain Owens said: ‘This is a hammer blow for the people of Penrith and Cumbria who rely on Newton Rigg to provide education for their young people. The closure would leave Cumbria - one of the most agriculturally-dependant counties in the country – without any specialist agricultural education.

“Cumbria is massively dependent on agriculture and this college is the only provider of agricultural training in the county. If it closes, and if you still wanted to do agricultural training, the nearest alternative is a college at Ponteland in Northumberland.

“If they [Askham Bryan] don’t want it – and clearly they don’t – it’s about finding an alternative provider. We need to maintain further education provision in Penrith and the surrounding area.” The closure proposal – subject of a 45-day consultation process – had left all the staff deeply anxious, he added.

Tim Whitaker, chief executive and principal at Askham Bryan College, said: “We understand the strength of feeling about Newton Rigg and the fact that this will be upsetting news to our staff, students and the local community.

“This has been a very difficult decision.

“We regret putting staff at risk of redundancy.

“However, the review has confirmed that the campus is not financially viable from the college’s perspective and would require ongoing investment to keep pace with industry skills.”

Governors felt there was no alternative, he said.“Given the current economic climate, and the fact that no capital or revenue funding is available, we have no other option but to propose closing the facility in July 2021. We will do all we can to support our staff and students at this difficult time.”