TWO former Workington MPs described the decision to close Cumbria's 125-year-old agricultural college with more than 100 jobs losses as 'shameful' and 'very distressing'.

Dale Campbell-Savours and Baroness Sue Hayworth have joined forces with former cabinet minister, Lord David Clark of Windermere, in condemning the announcement this week by the Further Education Commissioner that Newton Rigg College at Penrith was 'financially unviable', and declared no suitable bids had been received to take it over.

Former Shadow Cabinet member, Sue Haworth, said she had contacted every member of the House of Commons Defra Select Committee to carry out an urgent inquiry into the whole Newton Rigg College affair. "The whole business is very distressing," she said.

Lord Dale Campbell-Savours said he had been looking at the accounts of Newton Rigg College's owner's Askham Bryan College at York. "I am totally convinced that the whole Askham Bryan agenda constructed behind a wall of secrecy is driven by land at Newton Rigg currently worth at least £10 million, which they were originally given for nothing. Over the years education has been their second consideration."

Lord David Clark said: "The conduct of Askham Bryan has been shameful. The truth is they have been running Newton Rigg down for years and Cumbria is now paying the price."

Meanwhile, the group behind one of the two bids submitted to take over Newton Rigg, Newton Rigg Ltd., has pledged to now revert to Plan B, which includes plans for a new independent agricultural college for the county.

Tim Whitaker, Chief Executive Officer and Principal, Askham Bryan College, said: "We understand the strength of feeling for Newton Rigg amongst our students, staff and the local and wider community and regret the upset that the campus closure and job losses will cause. We will continue to support our students and staff during this difficult time.

"Askham Bryan College has been transparent with staff, students and other stakeholders throughout the entire process, providing accurate and timely information in a responsible way.

"The College is aware of speculation about the purchase of Newton Rigg in 2011. None of the current executive management team were at the College at that point, however investigation into legal documents held by the College, related to Newton Rigg’s acquisition, in 2011 has confirmed that the College made no payment of £1."

"The College paid a seven-figure sum of money between 2011 and 2013 related to the acquisition of Newton Rigg. Subsequently, the College has invested over £4.4 million in capital at the site and subsidised a significant annual operating deficit at Newton Rigg. The College estimates that this subsidy amounts to up to £7 million between 2011 and 2020.”