THE University of Cumbria’s Newton Rigg campus in Eden could have a new further education provider as early as September 2011 after six organisations threw their hat in the ring to take over the service.

The deadline for bids from educational institutions want-ing to run the campus’s 36 FE courses passed on Friday.

Kendal College, Carlisle College and the Newton Rigg futures group, made up of university staff, are all believed to have entered proposals after the univ-ersity announced it would stop running courses from Newton Rigg.

The bids will now be assessed by appraisers made up of representatives of the national FE body, the Skills Funding Agency, the Young People’s Learning Agency, the North West Development Agency and Cumbria County Council.

A decision will be made by Geoff Russell, chief exec-utive of the Skills Funding Agency, next month.

MP Rory Stewart said he was concerned the Univ-ersity of Cumbria had not made the campus’s financial situation clear to bidders.

“It’s still not clear to me what the financial situation at Newton Rigg is and this is a problem for anybody bidding to take it over.

“We have to make sure that whoever takes over has the financial weight to carry them through the deficit.

"The winning bidder also needs to have serious expertise in FE and land based education.”

NFU’s Cumbrian county chairman Robert Craig said it would support any bid that assured a sustainable future for further education in agriculture in Cumbria.

“The NFU looks forward to seeing a secure future for Newton Rigg and working with the successful bid team.

“Farming will always have an important role in the economy of the county.

"Newton Rigg needs to fulfill its potential to enable farmers in the region to have access to the best training and industry knowledge so that they can continue to progress in what is an extremely technical and highly skilled UK agricultural industry.”

Newton Rigg was formed in 1896 as an agricultural college and is now regarded as the main FE site for teenagers in Eden.

It runs BTEC First Certificates and Diplomas, and BTEC National Awards in a subjects ranging from land-based engineering to animal care.