Staff in Newton Rigg college takeover bid

Staff at Cumbria’s Newton Rigg college have launched an ambitious bid to wrest control of the facility from the local authority.

Jonty Rostron, chairman of the Newton Rigg Future Group, said the aim was to take over day-to-day management, to secure the future of further education courses in land-based skills.

It was the Higher Education Funding Council’s decision to scrap the college’s further education courses at the college and concentrate on degree courses that triggered the idea, Mr Rostron told Farmers Weekly.

That decision would have deprived young farmers of the opportunity to take-up a wide range of land-based skills training, he added.

“Things have gone from bad to worse at Newton Rigg over recent years,” said Mr Rostron, who used to be a lecturer at the college.

“Newton Rigg was once one of the UK’s top colleges – and the only one offering specific training in hill farming skills – but it has steadily been run down. Staff are determined to restore the college’s reputation and its important role in the farming community of Cumbria.”

The Newton Rigg Future Group also plans to set up a new working partnership with Reaseheath College in Cheshire.

The hope is that a “consortium of expertise”, which will include mainstream education colleges at Kendal and Carlisle as well as Reaseheath, will back up the staff takeover.

Mr Rostron described the land-based skills facilities at Newton Rigg as second to none.

“The college has a totally under-valued hill farm and a dairy unit that has been dismantled. These are important resources that we must save and re-invest in for the benefit of future generations.”

Principal of Reaseheath College Meredydd David said: “We can confirm that we have been approached by representatives from Newton Rigg with regard to possible future collaboration, as have other colleges.

“Agricultural and rural communities are crucial to Cumbria. Specialist land based colleges such as Newton Rigg are a key element to the success of these industries and communities and should be supported.”