EDUCATION Minister Anne Milton has agreed to meet Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury to discuss the closure of the Hartford college campus. 

Warrington and Vale Royal College has announced the move to close the majority of the campus from this coming September, with 56 staff to be made redundant. Mike has called on the college principal and governors to reverse the decision.

Speaking during a House of Commons debate on age 16 to 19 funding on Monday, the Weaver Vale MP asked Anne Milton, Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills to meet to talk about the closure.

He said: “Last week, Warrington and Vale Royal College announced its intention to close the campus at Northwich in my constituency—with 56 job losses and 300 students displaced—citing severe financial pressures and the Government’s area-based review.

“Will the Secretary of State or the Minister agree to meet with me, the staff and some of the students affected, and hopefully reverse the decision?”

Anne Milton replied: “I am happy to meet the honourable gentleman.

“I should point out, because not everybody understands it, that colleges are independent bodies.

"I understand that Warrington and Vale Royal College recently took a view that the Hartford campus in Northwich was unviable and that provision should be transferred to create a more efficient offer at other sites, with travel support provided to learners.

“The issue arose from difficulties in recruiting learners, not budget cuts.”